Breakfast At Puckerman's
by BrokenFirePen
Summary: And I said, what about Breakfast at Tiffany's. She said I think I remember the film and as I recall I think we both kinda liked it and I said, well that's the one thing we've got. And, truth be told, that is the only thing Rachel and Puck have. For now.
1. Lonely Island vs The Wiz

**Hey people!! This is my first Glee fanfiction so please be nice! This story takes place after the episode where the boys and girls do mash-ups, the episode Vitamin-D. I just didn't like the way the actual episode Mash-Up ended, so I'm writing my own PuckelBerry story. Enjoy!**

Chapter One: Lonely Island vs. The Wiz

They stared at each other, her hands placed firmly on her hips, his crossed lazily over his chest. They were both very silent, except for the angry breathing coming out of each being's nose. They eyes were narrowed, a harsh glare being passed from one to the other. Neither person moved. It was almost as if they were having a staring contest; neither of them blinked either.

Every once in a while, one of the other Glee cast members would walk in the room, only to back out again slowly. Ms. Sylvester even walked in once, saw what was happening and took three big steps backwards, fleeing down the hall when she was out of the choir room.

After what seemed to be hours, one of them spoke. "We're not doing that song," Puck said, his voice low and serious.

There was a small huff that Rachel blew into his face. "Yes, we are. _Everybody Rejoice _is a classic song from the Broadway musical _The Wiz, _and as long as we have to work together, we're going to do the music I want. None of your stupid… Whatever that band name is."

Puck let out a harsh sigh. "One, it's Lonely Island, two, _I'm On a Boat _is not stupid. It's rap."

Rachel snorted. "Exactly. Noah, how are we supposed to do an a Capella version of that noise you just made me listen to? After five seconds I wanted to rip my ear drums out."

Puck stared at her. "Yeah, and _your _song was so much better!" he shouted. "I mean_, Everybody Rejoice_? Come on."

She let out another harsh breath. "Well, fine, then, Noah. Tomorrow I'll just tell Mr. Schuster that we can't work together and I have to work with someone else," she said quietly, walking over to the piano and stuffing sheet music into her bag and stomping out of the choir room, her flats making a light _thwack _noise as she pattered down the hall.

Puck shrugged and pulled his iPod out of the speakers before turning to see Finn standing in the doorway. "Hey, dude, what's up?"

Finn's face was clueless as always. "What's up with Rachel?" he said, shoving his hands into the pockets of his jeans. "She just blew past me without even a 'Hello'."

Puck shrugged. "She was just being a girl and wouldn't listen to me."

Finn laughed, whacking his friend on the back. "Dude, most girl's don't listen to you."

"I know, chicks, right?"

When Puck reached to grab his backpack, he saw Rachel's pink plaid rain coat on the floor next to it. "What's that? Is that Rachel's coat?" Puck nodded. "Here, lemme have it. I'll bring it to her."

Puck shook his head. "Naw, I'll bring it to her. S'Later man."

*~*~*~*

Rachel sat in her blue Yaris, her hands clasped around the steering wheel. She was breathing hard and small tears were trailing down her face. She didn't even know why she was crying. It was only a song, it was only Noah.

She shook her head quickly, clearing it and told herself she was just being silly when there was a knock on the glass. She jumped and turned to see Puck's shirt looming in her window. She just sat there. He knocked again. When Rachel didn't do anything, he bent down and looked at her through the window. "Open the damn door already," he said cheekily, smirking at her.

She shook her head. "No," Rachel said, reaching over to the glove compartment and pulling out a neat pack of Kleenex tissues.

As she wiped her nose and eyes, Puck grew aggravated. "Come on, Berry. I need to give something to you."

She shook her head slowly. "Just go away, Noah," she said, putting her car in drive and pulling out of the parking lot, leaving Puck standing there, her rain coat half hanging out of his backpack, which was now slung over his shoulder.

With a shrug, he made his way over to his Jeep, tossing his bag in the back seat climbing into the drivers' seat. As he was driving home, he kept glancing at the pink rain coat. He started to feel a little sorry for acting that way toward Rachel in the music room. I mean, sure it was Rachel Berry and even though she was the most annoying human being ever to walk on the face of the earth, it was out of line to yell at her and he was starting to wish he hadn't. He didn't know Rachel had ever shed tears because of him, but little did he know, when he saw her crying in the parking lot, it wasn't the first time, and it definitely wasn't the last.

**Okay, so that's chapter one. It's really stupid and pointless, but I'm just getting the story started. So please review!**

Thanks,

**Renee**


	2. At The 711

**Hey, guys, sorry that it's been so long. Things have been, well, hectic around here. Hope you like it!!! Again, it's my first Glee fanfiction, so be nice! **

Chapter Two: At The 7-11

Rachel was lying on her stomach on her bed, her legs bent at the knees and her ankle crossed. She had a purple laptop in front of her and she was typing furiously on the keyboard. "God damn, Noah Puckerman. Who do you think you are?" she muttered just as her dad knocked on her door. "Rachel, darling, would you please do me a favor?" She looked up from her computer. "Would you run down to the 7-11 on the corner and grab me and Daddy some milk and two cans of soup?"

Rachel nodded and got up from her bed, and went down stairs. "Is that all you need, Dad?"

He nodded. "Yes." He kissed her forehead. "You know what we like."

She smiled as she headed out the door.

*~*~*~*

(The 7-11)

"Hey, Puckerman! We got clean up in aisle four!"

Puck glared at the store manager and muttered 'Then why don't you go clean it up yourself?' under his breath. He went to the aisle and started restacking the cans the woman had knocked over. "I'm so sorry," she said. Puck froze, the voice sounding strangely familiar. He looked up slightly and saw a pair of black flats and bleach white knee socks. As he kept looking, he saw a pink plaid skirt hiked up to the person's waist and a plain white t-shirt. "Puck?" Rachel hissed out.

He stood, putting the last bottle on the shelf. "Hey, Berry," he said smugly, towering a good foot and a half over her. "What brings you here?"

She glared at him. "I'm buying stuff for my dads," she said, grabbing another can of Campbell's tomato soup and walking over to the check out counter. The 'Ring Bell For Service' sign was up and since no one was behind the counter, she hit the bell. Puck immediately walked up and rang up her stuff. She grabbed a pack of 5 gum off the counter and tossed it at him. "That too."

He put her things in a plastic bag and she handed him a five dollar bill. As she waited for her change, he said, "Look, Berry, about what happened in the choir room today-"

He didn't get to finish before she grabbed the bag, and her change, and stormed out of the store. The door slammed and as she was stomping toward her car, she felt a hand on her shoulder. "Look, I just wanted to say that-"

"Listen, Noah, you obviously don't want to work with me as a singing partner and I don't blame you. I'm a very demanding person and it would take balls of steel to actually work with me on a song and a miracle would have to happen for us to actually agree on a song. So, forget about it and I'll just tell Mr. Shoo that I can't work with you, okay?"

He stared at her, dazed for a minute. "What?" He shook his head, clearing it. "No, that's not what I was-"

Rachel put one finger to his lips, quieting him. "No, just stop, Noah. Just stop."

With that, she flounced off to her Yaris, not even noticing the pink raincoat Puck had been holding.

Puck stood in the parking lot, his head cocked to the side and his face confused. "What?" he mused aloud, then he looked at the raincoat, and sighed.

*~*~*~*

(The Next Day At School)

"Mr. Schuster?" Rachel called, her voice ringing through the empty choir room. Silence. She started stomping down the hall. "Mr. Schuster!"

He stopped, Spanish quizzes and sheet music in either hand. "Uh, yeah, Rachel, what's up?"

Rachel flew over to him, halting to a stop no more then three inches away from his body. "I have a formal complaint to make."

His brow furrowed together. "Uh, about who?"

"Noah." Mr. Schuster closed his eyes and sighed. "He wont cooperate and do the song I want. He's insisting on doing some rap song by Lonely Island. I tell you, if you ever heard that song, Mr. Shoo, you'd die."

He looked down at the small girl. "Look, Rachel, I don't know what to say about _that_ but-"

"Switch me."

"What?"

She rolled her eyes. "Give me a different partner, please!" she said, slightly stomping her foot.

Mr. Schuster shook his head. "No, Rachel, people have already started practicing their songs. It's too late so switch you now. You'll just have to find something to do about that."

"What am I supposed to do about it, Mr. Schuster?" she said, her words getting harsher and more forced by the second. "Noah and I have nothing in common. We're two totally different people."

Mr. Schuster raised one eyebrow. "I don't know, Rachel. I think if you paid a little bit more attention to other people, especially Puck, you'd see that you're both more alike than you think."

Then he walked away, leaving Rachel standing there in the hallway, her mouth hanging open and her eyes wide.

** The hills are alive with the sensation of finishing this chapter!!! With writing that I worked on for a thousand years just so I can make my readers happy!!! Ahaha! I know I'm crazy, but… Yeah. This is me. Hope you guys liked the chapter. PLEASE review!!! **

**Love, **

**Renee**


	3. The Parking Lot

**This is the third chapter. I'm actually working kind of hard on this story because I don't want to have a sucky Glee story, as it is my favorite show ever and I'm really sad it stopped until…. Whenever it comes back on. And just so you know, I'm going to use some of the songs they use in Glee, the ones I like, but only a few.**

Rachel was still in the choir room, three hours after school. She was sitting at the piano, her fingers rested on the keys. She'd been practicing _Everybody Rejoice _to do as a solo, without Puck and against Mr. Schuster's wishes, or orders as she considered them_. Actually sing with Puck? I mean, honestly, Mr. Schue. Who do you think I am?_

She made a noise of disgust just thinking of singing with Puck and began to let her fingers drag across the keys, playing the opening notes to her favorite song from _West Side Story; Tonight. _

_"Tonight, tonight, won't be just any night. Tonight there will be no morning star. Tonight, tonight, I'll see my love tonight and for us stars will stop where they are." _

Rachel stopped singing when there was a knock on the door. She turned in her seat to face Puck. "What… What are you doing here? School ended almost three hours ago."

He snorted. "I could be asking you the same thing, Berry," he said, wandering around the room, keeping his hands firmly behind his back. "But, I can see that you're here singing _West Side Story._"

She was about to say something, but caught herself. "How do you know _West Side Story_?"

He shrugged. "I don't know, my mom loves musicals. Especially that. It's like a drug to her."

Rachel nodded. "You never answered my question."

"Which was…?"

She rolled her eyes. "What are you doing here?"

He stopped, directly behind the end of the piano. "I was just, um…" She raised her eyebrows. "I was helping Coach Tanaka with the set-up for tomorrows practice."

"Oh, really?" she said, doubting him.

He nodded. "Yeah, seriously. Do you need me to escort you to the field to prove that for once I'm telling the truth?"

"I… You… No, you don't, Noah," she said, standing up and reaching for her back pack, which was resting on the piano. She grabbed the strap and slung the bag over her shoulder. "I'll, um, I'll see you later, okay?"

She headed out the door and heard Puck following close behind. "So, listen, I am willing to work with you on a song, no matter how reputation crashing it is, we just need to find a song that we both like."

She reached her car and spun around to face him. "Like I told Mr. Schuster earlier today, there is nothing we have in common. It's impossible to find a song we both like." Puck took a step toward her and her eyes widened at the proximity of them both. "So, so I think that… That we should just do the songs apart, you do the song you want, and the same for me." Another step. Rachel began to feel her heart beating in her chest, faster than it ever had before. "So, you… You can to _I'm On a Boat_ and I can do… I can to… _Everybody Rejoice." _

Puck laughed once. "Ha. You got the name right."

She smiled. "Yeah, I guess I did."

Puck was so close to her at this point that she could almost feel the heat radiating off of him, but she decided that since it was October, it was cold, so naturally he was going to be giving off a little body heat. Puck on the other hand, could see her, standing there, shivering. He had the urge to wrap his arms around her, to keep her arm, but he fought that urge and just shoved his hands in his pockets. "Well, uh, I'll see you later, Berry," Puck said, nodding once to her. She smiled and nodded back, turning around and unlocking the door to her car. "Uh, hey, Rachel?"

"Mm?"

"I…" She looked at him, her big brown eyes pulling in his stare. "Never mind. Bye Berry."

She smiled at him, warmly not forcefully, and climbed into her car. Shutting the door. Puck ran to his Jeep and jumped in, shutting the door quickly. He felt this feeling in his stomach like it was being pulled along with Rachel and her teeny tiny car as it drove out of the school parking lot but he shrugged it off and pulled out with her, turning in the opposite direction and heading back home, where dinner was probably waiting.

**Okay, since it was such a crappy ending, I'm going to give you all a very small spoiler. Very, Very small. **

**"You invited them here?!" **

**Haha, how's that for captivating? Anyway, please press the little gray/green button and review! Thanks! **


	4. Not Disgusting

**Ladies and Gentlemen, I present to you, the fourth chapter of my Glee fanfiction, Breakfast at Puckerman's. Some swearing in this chapter, just to warn you! **

Chapter Four: Not Disgusting

When Puck woke up the next morning, the small of pancakes, maple syrup, eggs, bacon and homemade butter came floating through under the crack of his bedroom door and into his nose. He sat up, stretched his muscles and smiled. "Nice," he said smugly, clamoring out of bed and pulling on a fresh pair of jeans over his boxers. He grabbed a shirt and tossed it on his shoulder, opening his door and stared walking down the hall. "Hey, Abbegail," he said mockingly, using her full name, which she detested.

His little sister lifted her head groggily and looked at Puck, her eyes barely open. "Mm," was all she said before letting her head fall back onto her pillow. He rolled his eyes and walked down the stairs, following his nose, which was following the delicious smell. His nose, and feet, lead him to the kitchen where his mom was leaning over the stove, a spoon by her nose.

"Noah, does this taste good to you?" She held the spoon to his mouth.

"Yeah, is taste fine… What is it?"

She laughed once, sniffing at the pan. "Well, it's eggs with seared onions, peppers and little ham squares." She took a bite. "And I think I'm genius."

Puck nodded, pulling a piece of bacon out of the pan and took a small bite. "So, Mom, what's all this for? You, like, never cook," he said, the bacon hanging out of his mouth as he tugged his shirt on over his head and slipped his arms through the holes.

She smiled. "I'm inviting some friends over for a Saturday morning brunch, if that's alright with you," she said, walking into the dining room with a silver tray of half the food she'd just been cooking.

"Okay… Who?" His mother was silent as she rearranged the plates and forks. "Mom, who?"

Sarah stood up, wiping her hands together, than entwining her fingers into one another. "Alright, Noah. I'm just going to come right out and say this." Puck rolled his eyes, ready for a big 'Mom' speech. "I've seen you with many girls. The one I have to say I liked the most was Santana, but she was still horrible. And now that you have your pool cleaning business and your… Cougars," she said, the word lathered in pain, "I've decided that I'm going to set you up with someone." Puck froze, the piece of bacon falling out of his mouth. "Now, I found a girl in your school, a Jewish girl, whose parents agreed to have brunch with us. So, go upstairs and put on a nice, button down shirt, please."

He turned to go upstairs, but then stopped walking and faced his mother. "Who did you invite?" Again, silence. "Mom…" he spat out, clenching his hands into fists. "Who. Did. You. Invite?"

"The Berrys."

For all of five minutes, Noah stared at him mom, not believing the words that had come out of her mouth. The blankest of blank looks was on his face and it was almost as if Sarah Puckerman could see the wheels turning in his head, processing that information. It was when it was totally processed that Puck started for flip out. He didn't say anything, but he did react physically. His shoulders started to tremble and his hands, which were still clenched into fists were shaking. Like crazy. Then… He spoke.

"Mom, are you crazy? You invited them here?!" She nodded, as if she'd done nothing wrong. "Have you completely lost it?"

Sarah crossed her arms and looked at Puck with the biggest 'Mom' look on her face he thought she was going to burn him to a crisp with her eyes. "Noah, I am sick and tired out you just going to school, coming home then sleeping with all these women. Older women. _Married _older women. It's disgusting. And I'm sick of it. Now, I'm not saying I want you to date Rachel, because that would be asking too much, but I want you to have a friend. A friend who's a girl, who you _don't _go sleeping with. Get along with Rachel. Do the duet with her. I spoke with Mr. Schuster. He said that you and Rachel are refusing to do a song together."

"I'm not, _she _is. She's being so difficult and she won't cooperate. There's not a single song that we both like, that we can sing together. Not. A. Single. One."

Sarah cleared her throat. "Well, I'm asking that, for today, you and Rachel get to know one another. There maybe one thing you have in common. I'm not sure what it is, but I'm sure there's something." Puck snorted. "So go upstairs and put on a nice shirt. They'll be here soon. It's almost eleven." Puck still didn't move. "Noah Joseph Puckerman, I swear to God…"

He turned then, walking upstairs to his room and grabbing a black button down shirt from off a hanger. Slipping his arms through it, he started thinking to himself. _Rachel Berry… The school freak… In my house… Seeing how crappy my home life is… Seeing how insane my family is… Well, fuck. I'm dead. _He rolled the sleeves up to his elbows and did up the buttons. Puck grabbed a pair of socks and his sneakers, putting them on just as there was a knock on the front door. "Shit," he mumbled to himself.

"Noah, will you get that please?"

He quietly walked down the stairs. Puck reached for the door knob but stopped short when he heard whispering coming from the other side. "I can't believe you two are making me do this," came a voice that sounded like Rachel's. "It's Noah Puckerman. Do you really think he's going to want me in his house?"

Puck shook his head and thought, _I don't… _

"Rachel, darling," a man said, probably her Dad, not Daddy. "Please do this, for us. We just want you to be happy at school, and if getting along with Noah outside of school is what it takes, then, so be it."

A sigh, then a sniff. "Fine. But if he says anything insulting, and I mean _anything,_" she said, hissing the last word, "I am walking right out of this house and going home."

Puck then swung the door open, a huge, and fake, smile on his face. "Hello, Mr. Berry and Mr. Berry. It's so lovely to see you."

Puck didn't see Rachel standing between the two until she spun around, heading for the car. "Let's go, we're leaving." Her fathers caught her and brought her back, giving Puck the perfect opportunity to give her a once over. She actually looked… Hot. Her dress, even though it was October and was getting a little chilly out, was short, not even reaching her knees. It was blue, which made her eyes, no matter how big they were, pop out, looking brighter and more enchanting. She still had on her same flats, but this time, they were silver and they looked new. And she didn't have any disgusting knee socks on. She was letting her heavenly tan legs show.

Puck snapped out of his little fantasy when one of her father stuck his hand out to him. "Jared Berry, it's nice to meet you. And this is Duncan, my partner and Rachel's other father."

Duncan shook Puck's hand. "Nice to meet you." Puck was still staring at Rachel, unable to tear his eyes away from her. "Um, Noah?"

Puck shook his head quickly, clearing it. "Oh, yeah, um, nice to, uh, meet you. My mom's in the, uh, kitchen. Just down the hall." Rachel's parents went, she stayed behind. "Hey, Berry. You don't look insane today. What happened?"

She stepped in. "Shut up, Noah. I'm only here for my dads. If you say anything stupid, vile or inappropriate, I'm gone." Rachel slowly began to walk down the hall.

"I like a woman in charge," Puck said, following her.

Rachel made a disgusted noise but couldn't ignore the feeling deep down inside of her, knowing that she, Rachel Berry, was having brunch with Noah Puckerman, and with how Rachel was looking today, Puck felt the exact same way.

**More breakfastie goodness later. And more Pucklerberry in the next chapter… Much… Much more. *Winks* So, hold tight. **

**And come on, guys. Reviews make me happy! It'll come sooner if there are more reviews! **


	5. One and Only

**Here's chapter five everyone!!!! Hope you enjoy!!!! Oh, and by the way… There will be a lot of Puckleberry in this chapter! More on Puck's part, but Rachel has some input too!!! **

**This chapter is dedicated to GleeFreak-VampireChik and ooo a jellybean. Thank you guys! You're awesome. Oh, and GleeFreak-VampireChik, if you think the forth chapter was GOLD… just wait until you read this one… *Raises eyebrows continuously***

Chapter Five: One and Only

There was little noise in the dining room, the only sounds were the utensils hitting the plates and the quiet chatter coming from the parents. Puck and Rachel sat in utter silence, not speaking to anyone, just eating as if they were all alone. They had tried to zone out everything, but Puck was having a hard time doing so. Watching Rachel as she would slowly bring the fork up to her mouth and how, when ever she moved, her luscious chocolate hair would swish around as if it was dancing.

"So, Noah… Rachel tells us you're on the football team," Duncan suddenly interjected.

Rachel snapped her head up and glared at her dad. "Oh, really?" Puck said, raising an eyebrow at her.

Jared nodded. "Yes. She tells us many things…"

Rachel kicked her daddy under the table. "Daddy, please, be quiet!" she hissed, glaring at her parents. "Both of you stop talking!"

Puck saw an opportunity for embarrassment and he didn't let it slip away. "What else has she told you?"

Rachel's cheeks flushed as her dads went on to say that she talked endlessly about Noah Puckerman. She had told them about how his voice, though not as strong as Finn's, was elusive and soft. "She's told us about how you two are doing a duet in Glee together," Duncan said, reaching across the table and taking Rachel's hand.

"Well, we _were _doing a duet, but _he _wont cooperate," she said, glaring at Puck. "He wanted to do some stupid rap song… Um… _I'm on a Boat. _There's no way we would be doing that song-"

"Oh, I know that song," Jared said, stepping in. "I hear it all the time when I'm at work."

Puck looked at Jared. "What's your work?"

"I'm a psychiatrist. There's a boy, around fifteen, who comes into the office next to mine everyday and he makes his shrink listen to it whenever he comes in. He says it relates greatly to his life. They turn it up rather loudly. I've become accustomed to it actually. It's become part of my daily routine."

Puck nodded as Rachel rolled her eyes. "Anyway…" Everyone looked at her. "_I _wanted to do the song _Everybody Rejoice _from _The Wiz, _but Noah had to go and say that it was a song for sissies and refused to do it. So, I talked-"

Puck dropped his fork down on his plate, interrupting her. "It's not that I refused to do it, Berry. I was just saying that _I'm on a Boat _is a better song. I mean, come on. That song you made me listen to made me want to throw your iPod across the room," he said, glaring at her and leaning back triumphantly in his chair. "That's how bad it was…"

Rachel glared back, crossing her arms over her chest. "And after _you _made _me _listen to that stupid song, I wanted to tear my ear drums out. It was like someone was just shouting profane words at me. It was disgusting." Puck's eyes widened, but he didn't say anything so Rachel went back on with her story. "So… I talked to Mr. Schuster and he just told me nonsense…"

"Um, what did he tell you, Rachel?" Sarah said, cutting in.

Rachel rolled her eyes slightly. "He just told me that I should spend more time with Noah and try to get to know him better. Maybe there would be a song we both liked. I say different. In fact, I completely disagree with that statement."

"Why, dear?"

"Because," Rachel said, looking from Puck's mother to Puck himself, "because Noah and I have nothing in common. We're two totally different people. He likes to sleep with any girl he can get his hands on and I'd rather actually take my time to find someone who loves me before I go giving myself to them," she snapped, raising one eyebrow at Puck as if to say, 'Aha, I've cornered you now. Try finding a comeback for that, Neanderthal.'

Puck snorted at her facial expression and was about to open his mouth to say something when Rachel's daddy cut him off. "Well, Rachel, I'm surprised you say that."

She whipped her head to look at him. "Why, Daddy?"

He smiled kindly, as if the two children hadn't just been arguing like a married couple. "Because you speak of him so fondly. I was very surprised when you refused to come over here today and I'm even more surprised you're saying these words. You always say he's a kind and wonderful boy who you've actually taken a liking too and you-"

Rachel slammed her hands down on the table and shot up from her seat, scanning the four faces looking back at her, three of them concerned and one of them smug. "If you'll excuse me," she whispered, looking at the floor embarrassed, "I need some fresh air… I'll be back." Her words were so quiet, they were barely heard as she rushed out of the room and out the back door, onto the Puckerman's back porch.

Puck could see her through the window, leaning her elbows on the railing and letting her face fall into her hands. Rachel's shoulders began to shake mildly and her daddy stood up. Jared stood up, running his hand over his face. "Oh, dear. I must have said the wrong thing. I'll to talk to her."

He started to make his way for the back porch, but Puck shot up from his seat. "No, you sit down, Mr. Berry. I'll go talk to her. I think I should apologize for what I said earlier anyway." Puck didn't know the reason for his sudden urge to apologize, but he felt it needed. Rachel Berry was, after all, a human despite her craziness and weird clothes.

He walked into the kitchen, grabbing his letterman's jacket off one of the chairs before walking out to the back porch. "Hey," he said quietly, slipping his arms through the jacket and crossing his arms over his chest.

She turned her head slightly, looking over her shoulder at him. "What do you want?" Her voice was shaky and quiet, like a mouse. "Haven't you already embarrassed me enough?"

Puck sighed quietly, letting his chin fall onto his chest. "Look, Berry, I'm sorry," he said sincerely, leaning his back against the railing so he could see her face. It was slightly red, her eyes watery from her tears. "I wasn't thinking…"

Rachel snorted, wiping the area under her eyes. "Well, you seem to not think a lot," she said, referring to all the times he'd made her look stupid or embarrassed. "I feel like such an idiot."

He looked at her, one eyebrow raised. "Why is that?" When she didn't say anything, he nudged her with his elbow. "Why, Berry?" he said, smirking.

Rachel looked up at him sadly. "Because of what I said, to both you and my fathers…"

Puck laughed, a small smile forming on his face. "Well, parents don't know what to be quiet. Especially when it comes to their kids." Rachel just bit her lip. Puck sighed and decided to take the plunge. "I can't tell you how many times my mom has told embarrassing storied about me."

"Yeah?" she said hopefully. He nodded. "Like what?"

"Well, she always tells this story. It never gets old." Rachel's ears perked up and she turned around, leaning against the railing the same way he was to listen. "She says that, when I was little, around ten, and Abbey, my little sister who's probably still asleep, was about seven, we would play dress up." Rachel giggled, covering her mouth with her hand when he glared at her playfully. "Yup. She's got pictures of me and Abbs, sitting in the living room. I used to call her Miz Abbey and she'd call me Madame Josefina, because of my middle name, Joseph." Rachel let another laugh escape as Puck went on. "She used to dress me up in pink tutus and plastic tiaras and we'd drink water out of plastic tea cups." Rachel nodded, biting her lip and taking in the story. She couldn't believe he was actually telling her this—Puck had never opened up to her before, why now? "Yup, those pictures are in the thousands of boxes we have in the den. They're out there somewhere, I promise you that."

Rachel smiled up at him cautiously. "I'd like to see those pictures one day, Noah."

He shook his head rapidly. "Oh, I don't think so. They're for family, and sometimes net even family, only. Restricted to the blood relatives."

Rachel let her head fall dramatically, pretending to be sad. "My dads say that, when I was about four, I used to run around the house in my underwear singing show tunes."

Puck laughed. "No wonder you're such a freak!" he said jokingly and Rachel looked sad for a minute before laughing along with him. "See? Exactly. Parents say stupid things. They don't know that they're embarrassing you, but they say 'em. God knows why, but they do." Rachel nodded, shivering and rubbing her arms rapidly, trying to make the goose bumps she was getting from the cold go away. "Oh, here," he said, slipping his jacket off and placing it around her shoulders. "Take this."

Rachel pulled the jacket closed, not bothering to slip her arms through the sleeves. She took a deep breath in, soaking up the Puck smell the jacket had, not a smell of cologne or anything like that, but just signature smell that Puck seemed to have. The warmth from the jacket seeped into her skin, giving her a rush of heat all through her body. She smiled and smuggled into his jacket more, looking down at the wooden planks making up the porch. "Why are you being so nice to me?' she whispered, lightly dragging her foot along one of the boards, watching her shoes change color from the sun shining through the trees.

Puck shrugged. "Because maybe, under all the crazy, you're not as bad as you make out to be…" He seemed lost in thought as he said, this, as if he was really going over what those words meant. Rachel smiled, still looking at the ground, then Puck realized what he said and looked at her. "But don't go getting the wrong assumptions, Berry. You're still a freak," he said, pushing her head to the side playfully.

Rachel laughed and slipped her arms through the sleeves of his jacket, deciding she was cold enough to allow herself at least the pleasure of being warm, or maybe the pleasure of knowing she was wearing Noah Puckerman's letterman's jacket… "So…" she said, looking at him sideways, trying to avoid total eye contact.

"So…" he said, mimicking her. "…Should we at least _try _to find a song?" Rachel looked at him, raising one eyebrow. "I mean… One that isn't by Lonely Island or from some crappy Broadway show. A song that's from this century, a song that more than just one person knows."

Rachel bit her lip, sticking her hands in the pockets of his jacket. "Uh, I guess. I mean, I suppose it would be rather awkward if we had to perform different songs when the assignment was specifically meant for two people to do a duet. I think people would see us as immature and that would not look good with the reputation that I have going for me right now," she said, her words coming out at one hundred miles an hour. "And besides, I don't think we are as different as we thought we were…"

~*~

Puck sat in his room, settled in the middle of his bed. He had his guitar in his lap and he was strumming absently on it while Rachel was going through songs in her mind. She was sitting in the corner of his room, near the plug in heater he had, nestled on a giant beanbag chair, chewing on the ends of her hair and looking at the ceiling. She was still wearing his jacket, she had refused to take it off. Something about it made her feel safe, protected. "What about something from _Wicked_? I'm sure we could find a song that you can play on the guitar. There are a lot of duets in the score."

"No show tunes, Berry, remember? And besides, most of the duets are sung by two girls, right?" Puck put the guitar pick he was holding in his mouth while he tuned his guitar up a little bit. "And the only song that's sung by a guy and a girl is… Well, stupid."

Rachel made a mock gasp. "_As Long as You're Mine _is not stupid. It actually has great harmony and they lyrics are wonderful."

She began humming the song, looking at him and smiling. "No, Berry, we're not doing that song," Puck said sharply but jokingly. "No show tunes, no Broadway. Nothing like that…"

Rachel rolled her eyes. "Fine," she said, drawing the word out slowly. "Why don't _you _think of a song."

Puck nodded. "I can do that," he said, going back to strumming his guitar. "Here, how 'bout this?" He started strumming an actual song on his guitar and to Rachel it sounded like Hawaiian music. But then he started singing and it was something totally different.

_"Well you done done me and you bet I felt it_

_I tried to be chill but you're so hot that I melted_

_I fell right through the cracks, Now I'm tryin to get back."_

Rachel instantly cut him off by holding her hand up in the air. "No, I don't think so. That song's too… Sexual."

Puck's eyebrows went up and his eyes widened. "What do you mean it's too sexual!?"

Rachel laughed once. "Scooch on over closer dear, and I will nibble your ear?" she said, quoting the song. "Puh-lease!"

Puck laughed at her dramatics, but went back to thinking, mumbling 'Well, if you're going to be picky about it' loud enough for her to hear. They both sat there and Puck looked at the guitar strings, watching as his fingers moved from one combination to the other, G, F, A, C and back to G again—not an actual song, just random notes. "What about 'Hey There Delilah'?" he said, looking at Rachel again, who was pulling her feet out of her flats and letting them fall to the floor as she crossed her legs, first-grader style.

He marveled at her, watching her hair dance around her shoulders and seeing her eyes look at his, seeming to burn through his soul. Her eyes were beautiful, dark, like chocolate, the same color as her hair. And her body, good God. It was short, duh, but enchanting. It was like she was calling him toward her, taunting him with every move she made, every breath she took. And those lips! Puck felt the need to walk right over to her and kiss the crap out of her, they were so tempting and teasing.

_Focus, Puck, focus. It's Rachel Berry, focus. _

Rachel looked at Puck, smiling. Puck quickly averted his eyes, looking back to his guitar. He focused on putting his fingers in the right spots even though he'd been playing for so long he'd memorized everything. He started absentmindedly playing the intro for _Sweet Caroline. _

When Rachel spoke, she brought him out of his trance. "Could you teach me?"

Puck creased his forehead. "Excuse me?" he said, stopping his playing and looking at her, confused. "Wha-What did you say?"

Rachel smiled. "Would you teach me? To play guitar?" This statement surprised Puck and he just sat there, looking at Rachel, stunned. After a minute, she laughed, her hair falling in front of her face. "Please?"

Her eyes were so angelic and sweet, Puck was having a hard time saying no and he knew he couldn't. "Uh, sure," he said dully, sitting on the edge of the bed and patting the spot next to him for Rachel to sit. After lifting the strap from around him and after Rachel has sat down, he put it around her, properly situating the guitar on her lap as she pushed the sleeves to his jacket up her arms. "Okay, the position of the arm that strums isn't really anything to master. You just have to put your arm over the side of the guitar. It's the fingerings that's difficult."

Rachel smiled deviously at him. "I think I can handle it," she said slyly, her face only centimeters away from his, so close in fact, that Puck could have just leaned down a little bit and he could be kissing her. "So, Noah, teach me."

Puck shook his head, clearing it and began. "Okay, see that little white dot near the head of the guitar?" She nodded. "When you're playing near the head, and when you're first beginning to play, you want to keep your thumb. It's kind of like when you're playing the violin, you have to keep your thumb on that little dot on the side, you know?" She nodded again. "Exactly. So, put your thumb there," he said, taking her hand in his and placing her thumb there.

Rachel sucked in a rush of air at his touch. It felt hot and her hand tingled where their skin touched. She bit her lip, trying to keep herself from smiling. "Alright, now, the first fingering alignment I ever learned was an E Major chord. All you had to do is place your pointer, middle and ring finger on the third, fourth and fifth strings in the second fret," he said, placing her fingers in the right places. "Easy, right?" She nodded. Puck smiled. "Okay, so, now what you have to do is strum the strings." Rachel just sat there, looking at her fingers. "Now, Rachel. Strum them now."

She turned her head quickly to look at him, a shocked look on her face. "What did you call me?" she said, shocked and confused.

Puck gave her a crooked smile, laughing once. "I called you Rachel, Berry," he said, pushing her hair out of her face delicately. Rachel looked deeply into his eyes, a small smile on her lips. She blinked only once, trying not to break the connected stare they were exchanging. After a minute, Puck cleared his throat. "Okay, the next easiest chord… B Minor. Just put your fingers on the fourth, fifth and sixth strings, your pointer finger on the last, middle finger on the one in the middle and your ring finger on the fourth string. But remember to put them in different frets. It's kind of confusing, you're basically going backwards, but pointer goes on the last string, second fret. Middle goes on the fifth string, third fret. Ring finger goes on the forth string, fourth fret. That one's easy to remember, but it's a difficult chord."

Rachel did the best she could to put her fingers in the right spots, but they were too small. "Is this right?" she said, trying harder to put her fingers in the right positions.

Puck shook his head. "Not quite. Try to stretch your fingers out more," he said, wrapping his hand around Rachel's sort of guiding where to put her fingers. "There, like that."

"Huh," Rachel said, as if discovering something. She turned her head and looked at Puck again. She jumped slightly when she saw how close how he was, but as he leaned closer to her, she tilted her head up, meeting him halfway.

Their lips brushed together before Puck leaned all the way down, pressing his lips fully onto hers. It felt like his lips were burning, that's how good the kiss felt. It was as if their lips fit together perfectly and it was impossible for Puck to not savor every minute, every second. Their lips moved together for a while and if it weren't for the strap around her, Rachel knew she would have dropped the guitar on the floor if it wasn't there. She seemed to forget everything, her thoughts, her surroundings, she only focused on the fact that she was kissing Noah and for Puck vice versa.

He was focusing on her lips, how good the tasted and how after this was over, how the only thing he would be thinking about was kissing them again. Somehow, Puck's hand found it's way to her hair and his fingers were now wound carelessly in her chocolate locks. They were soft, almost like silk, and he couldn't help but play with them, let them twirl around his fingers over and over again.

"Rachel?!"

Her name was heard by both she and Puck, but they ignored it, and only continued as Rachel brought her hand up to his face, letting her finger tips dance along the apple of his cheek and down his jaw.

"Rachel!?" Still, they didn't respond. "Rachel Ariella Berry!" Jared called from the bottom of the stairs, a harsh 'Dad' tone to his voice.

That's when they broke away from each other and Rachel stood up hastily, finally realizing what had just happened. "I… I, uh, better go." She took the guitar from around her shoulders and handed it to him. "I'll see you on Monday. Bye, Noah," she said, her words so quiet they were barely heard by Puck.

"Uh, yeah, bye Berry," he said, just sitting there, staring at the wall directly behind her.

She rushed out of the room and down the stairs, where Puck then heard the slam of the front door as well as car doors. Puck's mother came up the stairs and stood his doorway, her arms crossed. "Well, what was that?" she said smugly, a smirk on her face as she leaned against the door jamb. "Rachel just took off. With your letterman's jacket."

Puck shook his head. "It was nothing," he said in monotone, a smile spreading across his face. His mother shrugged and felt Puck sitting in his room. He leaned over and put the guitar back in it's case, snapping it shut before he flopped back on his bed, knowing that the only thing that would be running through his mind for the next forty eight hours would be the one, and only, Rachel Berry, the school freak.

**So, wudda ya think?? Enough Puckleberry for you at the moment? Well, it better last!!!! Please review! They make me happy and make me write more! The faster I update my other stories, the faster I can write the next chapter for Breakfast!!!!!!! **


	6. Liking It

**Happy Valentine's Day everyone!!! Surprise! An extra early and extra special chapter for Breakfast and for Valentines. Bon appétit! **

Chapter Six: Liking It

When Rachel woke up Monday morning, Puck's jacket was still hanging on one of the poles to her four poster bed, where she'd placed it before she went to bed on Saturday night. She smiled and reached to her side, stroking one of the leather sleeves and remembering when he'd taught her to play guitar. Rachel felt a surge of electricity fly through her body, making every inch of her tingle with delight and lust. Quickly shaking it off, she climbed out of bed and undressed, taking a quick shower. After drying herself off, she shuffled through her closet trying to find something to wear.

"Rachel? Are you descent?" Jared called from the hall.

"Not even remotely. Just wait one second please, Daddy," she said, grabbing a random dress of the hangers and slipping it over her head. "Okay, you can come in now…"

The door opened and her parents stepped through, cautious smiles on their faces. "Good morning, sweetheart," Jared said, sitting on the edge of her bed while she put on a pair of black flats. "How are you?"

His tone of voice was slow, like he was talking to a five year old, but at the same time, it was as if he was hinting at something he wanted to say. "Daddy, you're a subtle as a crack of lightening. Just say what you have to say… Or ask," Rachel said, wandering into her bathroom and brushing her teeth.

Duncan smiled. "What happened between you and Noah on Saturday?' he said, sitting next to his partner.

Rachel poked her head out of the bathroom, a toothbrush hanging out of her mouth. "What do you mean?" she said, her words muffled by the toothpaste.

Jared laughed. "What we mean is, what happened while you two were in his room?"

She whipped her head back in, looking at her reflection. "Daddy, are you sheggeshting vat Noah and I did shomethin' in his woom?" Her words were getting worse the more she brushed her teeth. Both her parents laughed, walking to the doorway.

"Well, you did come home wearing his letterman's jacket," Duncan said, handing it to her as she wiped her mouth off with a washcloth.

"_And _you've been exceptionally happy lately. We just thought that, maybe, something had happened between you two…" Jared looked triumphant.

Rachel started at both her parents, fighting a very obvious smile and just laughed. "Well, you're both wrong. Nothing happened," she lied easily, not wanting her fathers to be involved in her love life, if that's what you could call it. "He merely taught me a few chords on the guitar. That's it. That's the extent of our relationship. Aside from the fact that we're doing a duet together in Glee," she said, catching herself quickly. "Sorry to disappoint both of you."

With that, she marched down the stairs. She was about to walk out the front door but she stopped herself when rain drops his her toes. Slipping Puck's jacket onto her arms, she slung her backpack on one shoulder and reached into the basket by the door, taking out her blue umbrella with white polka dots. After opening it, she flounced out the door and to her car. She shut the door and gripped the steering wheel, staring at the Toyota sign in the middle. "Oh, God," she whispered, letting her head fall onto the steering wheel. "What am I going to do?" she mused aloud. "I think… I think I'm in love."

~*~

Puck was sitting in his Jeep, looking out the fogging window. Occasionally, he would reach up and wipe off the steam from the heat inside, mixing with the cold outside. It was one of those days where Puck was just in a bad mood and didn't want to deal with anyone, yet he had to, for clenched in his right hand was Rachel Berry's pink rain coat, his grip making small wrinkles in the most likely really expensive fabric.

"You have to take it back to her," his mother had said to him. "I don't know why you didn't just give it to her when I had her over for breakfast. Honestly, Noah."

This day is what Noah Puckerman would call 'A pain in my ass day' where as normal people would call it a rainy day. Rain—or any form of bad weather really—darkened Puck's mood deeply and just made him more unpleasant to be around for most people... But most of all, for Rachel frigging Berry.

~*~

When Rachel pulled into the parking lot, she stepped out of her car and opened her umbrella walking around to the trunk, pulling out her backpack and slinging it over her shoulder. She began walking toward the school but stopped short when she heard someone call her name. She turned around, smiling but that happy face quickly faded. Noah Puckerman was jogging toward her.

Her heart began to beat furiously in her chest and when he stopped in front of her, her breath caught short. "Noah," she breathed, eyes wide and scared.

He stopped. "Here, your jacket. You left it in the choir room and I hadn't gotten a chance to give it back to you, so here."

She took it from him. "Oh, thank you," she forced out. "It's a very expensive, you know. It cost Daddy almost two hundred dollars. He would have killed me if I lost it and…"

She was cut short when Puck went wandering off, soon joining Matt and Mike by the courtyard, leaving her there, still in his letterman's jacket. She sighed and carefully folded the jacket as best she could with one hand and her leg then put it in her backpack. Rachel made her way to the school, finding Finn waiting for her at her locker. "Oh, hello, Finn," she said, not really paying attention to him as she did the combination to her locker, putting her bag inside. Rachel began shuffling through binders, searching for her English paper. When she saw that he was still there, she turned to him. "Yes, Finn, is there something you wanted?"

He nodded. "Uh, yeah actually." Rachel looked at him with raised eyebrows. "Why did you completely blow me off when I said hi to you in the hall on Friday?" he said, genuinely hurt—his eyes were sad and the corners of his mouth turned down in a frown. "You looked really upset."

Rachel looked at him, giving Finn a teasing and seductive smile. "Yeah, Finn, I'm fine. Don't worry about me. Puck and I were just going through some problems about our duet but it's all better now," she said, sticking her hands in the pockets of Puck's jacket.

"Finn!" They both turned their heads to see Quinn lightly running down the hall.

Rachel smiled again, putting one hand on Finn's upper arm as best she could. "You'd better go, Finn. She's probably got something important to tell you," she said, turning away and pulling a binder out of her locker.

Quinn forward from behind Finn and stood next to Rachel. Both people were surprised when she looped her arm around Rachel's and smiled at Finn. "You wouldn't mind if I stole her away for just one second, would you, Finn?" she said cheerfully, her hair bouncing lightly. Finn's mouth opened slightly, but he didn't get a chance to say anything. "Thanks. I owe you one."

Quinn kissed his cheek before pulling Rachel down the hall. Rachel let go of her binder from how forcefully Quinn was pulling her down the hall and into the girl's bathroom, where Mercedes, Tina, Britney, Santana and Kurt were waiting, arms crossed over their chests. Looks of disappointment were smeared across their faces. Quinn placed Rachel by the sinks and stood next to the line of girls, plus Kurt, and took the same position, but her facial expression wasn't disappointment, it was joy. "So, it is true?" Kurt said, the words oozing out of his mouth like acid.

Rachel's face took on a look of confusion. "What on earth are you talking about, Kurt?" she said with the same tone of voice.

Santana scoffed. "Oh, please. You're walking around school wearing his jacket like it's a ten million dollar prize. I know a romance when I see one." Her voice was snide, almost jealous. "How did you get it? Hell, he never let me wear it when we were dating-"

"Once again, San," Kurt said, delicately placing a hand on her shoulder, "sex isn't dating."

"Yeah, whatever." She turned her attention back to Rachel. "So, Rachel, how did you get it? You came to school wearing it for Christ's sake."

Rachel laughed. "Oh. I had brunch at his house and-"

"_What?!"_ everyone screamed, including Quinn.

"Yeah. His mom invited me and my dads over for brunch on Saturday." Faces of joy, confusion and shook took places on the girl's, and Kurt's, faces. "Anyway, I was cold and he let me wear it. He never took it back…"

Tina looked at Rachel, smiling. "D-D-D-Do you love h-h-h-him?" she said teasingly, but somewhat serious.

Rachel gave her a kind smile. "Honestly?" Everyone nodded, sudden excitement filling the bathroom. "I think so."

~*~

Puck was sitting in the library after school, in one of those incredibly comfortable leather chairs. He was looking at the binder in his lap. It was pink, with _Advanced Chemistry _written on the front in silver sharpie. Rachel's swirly and perfect handwriting was running through his mind as he looked the stickers on the plastic, stickers with WICKED on them, stickers with WEST SIDE STORY on them and of course, stickers in the shapes of stars. Gold ones.

"Hey, Puck!" He looked up to see Finn jogging toward him. "Hey, man," he said, sitting in the chair next to him. "Out of all places, who knew I'd find you in the library?" Puck laughed once. "Why aren't you in football practice?" he said, wiping the sweat from his forehead. Finn was in fact, wearing his football pads and jersey, with a pair of red football shorts.

"I'm, um, not feeling good," Puck stuttered, pushing the binder into the side of the chair.

Finn laughed. "You're fine, man. Come on. Tanaka is busting my balls because you aren't there. He said if I don't come back with you ready to practice, I'll be kicked off the team before I can even blink." Puck just scoffed, looking anywhere but at Finn. "Seriously, man. Let's go."

Sighing, Puck grabbed the binder from inside the chair and stood, following Finn out of the library and to the football changing rooms. After putting on his padding and jersey, he slipped on a pair of gray Lima sweatpants and his football cleats. "Puckerman!" That was the first thing Puck heard when he stepped out onto the football field. "Get your ass over here." That was the second.

Puck made his way over to the coach, his helmet tucked tightly under his arm. "Yeah, Coach?"

"Where the hell have you been?" he shouted, throwing his clipboard and pen to the ground. "You missed almost half of a practice!"

Puck sighed again for probably the millionth time today. "I was in the library. I wasn't feeling well but I couldn't leave." Coach Tanaka raised an eyebrow, waiting for the reason. "I had to return something to a friend and I knew she goes to the library after school. On the days we don't have glee practice."

"Well, don't be late again, or you're off the team." Puck rolled his eyes. "I'm not joking Puckerman. Now get on the field before I kick your ass there!" Obeying orders, Puck jogged to the field where the rest of the guys were running a drill through orange cones.

--

Off on the side lines, sitting on the bleachers next to the water cooler, Rachel was sitting there, running her finger around the edge of the four pieces of paper she had in her lap. There were staples through two of them, holding the sheet music together. The wind was blowing her hair in all different directions as she looked at the words on the page, as well as the little black dots going up and down the scale. Rachel looked out onto the field, seeing Puck jog up and down it, dodging boys coming to tackle him as he caught the ball Finn and just tossed to him.

She smiled to herself but the smile quickly faded as someone sat down next to her. Someone she'd really rather not talk to in any given time. "Go away, Jacob," she said, looking back down at the sheet music. Still, he sat. "I said, go away."

She could feel the body heat radiating off of him and she swore he smelled like he'd just gotten a swirly. "Hello, Rachel Berry." She turned and glared at him. "I'm doing an article for my blog and was wondering if you'd like to give me some input."

"Only if the input doesn't involve output, or should I say, putting out. Because, no, Jacob. I'm not going to have sex with you."

There was a disappointed sigh, but then he spoke again. "No, it's not about that, though that information will be helpful in the future. My question was, is there any hanky panky going on between you and the mysterious and sexually desiring, Noah Puckerman?"

Rachel looked at him. "Why would you ask something like that, Jacob Ben Israel?"

He shrugged, his lips trembling like he was trying to keep them attached to his face. "No reason. There's just a big buzz around school that there might be a little something going on. And that jacket you're wearing really doesn't tone down the gossip very much…" he said, sliding his hand up the sleeve and close to her chest.

She smacked his hand away, her face turning back into a scowl. "No, Jacob, there's nothing. Now stop being such a jackass and leave me alone." Unnecessary tears sprung to her eyes and began to run down her face, dripping off her chin.

"No, Rachel. I'd really rather not, you see, because if you don't let me do the things I want, some terribly awful things could just pop up on my blog. A blog about you. Which the whole student body reads. Even some of the teachers."

He reached his hand up once more to her chest. Her tears began to fall harder. "No, Jacob!" His hand came closer and she let out a shriek. "Jacob, I said lea-"

"Leave. Her. Alone." A voice that was harsh and fierce made Jacob jump from his seat to face the field. "Get the hell out of here," he said, pointing toward the school. Jacob Ben Israel did as told and quickly rushed away, tripping and falling as he did so. Puck then sat down next to Rachel, taking a plastic cup and filling it with water. After drinking the entire contents of the cup, he filled it up again and handed it to Rachel. "Are you okay?" he said, looking at her with sadness in his eyes.

She took the cup from him and shook her head. "No, I'm not," she said stubbornly, wiping her nose on the sleeve of his jacket.

"Yes, thank you for getting your snot all over my sleeve. You gave me exactly what I wanted," he said, smiling. When she gave him a glare through the spaces in her hair, he sighed, putting his arm around her shoulders. "I'm kidding, Berry. I love the snot," he whispered, biting the inside of his lip. After a minute, Rachel let out a sob, dropping the plastic cup on the sidewalk and burying her face in his chest, as uncomfortable as it was with his padding in the way. She sobbed and sobbed and sobbed. And she wouldn't let go of him either. She kept her arms gripped tightly around his waist. "Hey, hey, hey," Puck said quietly to her, pulling her face away and holding her chin up with his finger. "He's gone, Berry."

Rachel sniffed. "But… He was going to do something. If you hadn't been there and if I wasn't able to stop him, I would have been raped in public! At school!" she wailed, her face soaking wet from her tears.

Puck laughed. "Well, that's a little dramatic," he said, wiping her eyes with thumbs. "I'm sure you would have been able to fight that douche bag off, Berry. You're one touch cookie."

She made a watery smile. "Watch your mouth, Noah," she said, hitting him playfully on the chest while he bite his lip, hiding a smile at her quick recovery. After a long silence, Rachel let out a long and shaky sigh and looked down at her lap, seeing the sheet music was still on her lap. "Oh, Noah. I have something for you."

"Oh, yeah?" he said, teasingly, wrapping his arm seductively around her waist. "What's that Ms. Berry?"

She glared at him. "Nothing like _that._" Puck looked disappointed. "It's sheet music." She handed one of the packets to him and he read it carefully. "I was thinking, we could maybe do it for our duet. It's a great song. A little old, but still from this generation. And I know you love it because it's your ringtone for one of the Cheerios. I can't remember if it's Santana or Britney, but-"

"It's Britney," he said, interrupting her. "Santana's ringtone is _Low _by Flo Rida."

Rachel rolled her eyes. "Yeah, whatever. Anyway, I like the song too, and I was wondering, maybe we could… You know. Do it for our duet."

Puck nodded. "Yeah, sure Berry, We could to this song. I like it so, why not?"

Rachel smiled and stood up. "Great. We'll start rehearsing tomorrow, right after school." She started to walk away, but turned around again. "Here, your jacket," she said, slipping it off and holding it out to him, but he held his hand up, a little disgusted.

"No, no. Get it dry cleaned first. Or at least wash it. As much as I'm okay with you crying on it, I'm not too thrilled about the fact that it's got snot on the sleeve," he said, shooing it away from him and giving her a crooked smile.

Rachel smiled and put the coat back on. "Thank you, Noah. For your help. You saved me." She stepped toward him and went to give him a kiss on the cheek but he quickly turned his head, catching her on the mouth. She gasped slightly, but didn't pull away—she only smiled and cupped the side of his jaw with her right hand. After a minute, she pulled away, smiling. "Thanks again, Noah," she said more cheerfully before she turned and skipped away, her hair bouncing at her shoulders.

Puck looked and saw Finn standing there, a dumbfounded look on her face. "What the hell was that?" he said, nearly squeaking it out.

"I don't know," Puck said, leaning his elbows on his knees. He sat there for a minute then a devilish smile spread across his face. "But I liked it."

** Once again, Happy Valentines Day! I hope you liked Breakfast! Was it sweet enough? I hope so! Review! I'm not updating until I get at least sixty reviews. And I'm not even kidding little chickadees! Sixty reviews! **


	7. The Slushee Queen

**HELLO! Greetings! I know it's been, like forever and a day since I updated, but whatevs. I had been busy with, stuff… So yes, chapter seven, are you proud of me? So, yeah. OH OH OH OH!!!! I have a question for all you KURT fans out there. Do you think I should give him a loved one, such as, oh, I don't know, a boyfriend?!?!?! LEMME KNOW! **

**P.S. by the way, the bolded print in the story means people are texting each other. **

Chapter Seven: The Slushee Queen

_Quinn walked through the halls, clutching her books tightly to her chest. It felt as if everyone was staring at her like she was piece of dirt as they called things out to her. _

_"Slut." _

_"Whore." _

_"Bitch." _

_All of these things she'd heard before, but the last one that was called, she'd never heard, at least not said to her. _

_"MILF," came out of someone's mouth and she turned around just in time to have a cup full of icy cold green goop tossed in her face. _

_She gasped, dropping her books on the floor as she brought her hands up to her face, wiping away the residue Slushee and opening her eyes. Hot tears streamed down her face and contrasted with the cool drink on her face and she felt someone's hand on her arm as they began to lead her down the hall. _

_Quinn saw a door with the girl's bathroom sign on it and she turned her head, seeing Rachel by her side. "Come on," she said, pushing the door open. "I have a second pair of clothes for you. Let's get your face cleaned off." Rachel's tone was so caring and understanding that Quinn allowed Rachel to lead her into the bathroom, but it was probably a bad idea, for there, waiting in the bathroom, was Santana, Britney, Mercedes, Tina and Kurt, all with Slushees in their hands. _

_Then Quinn got the cool wave of corn syrup tossed in her face once again before she was pushed back out into the hall, the girls and Kurt laughing and pointing at her as they filed out behind her to see what would happen next. _

_Quinn covered her face with her hands, humiliated. "Oh, my God!" Quinn heard Kurt shout. "Everyone, look at her!" _

_There was a chorus of gasps, shrieks and approvals from the students and Quinn looked down at herself. She saw her stomach and chest was exposed and not only that, but her whole body, from head to toe she was completely nude. Tears streamed down her face even more and she looked up to see her beloved Finn embracing Rachel, kissing her within an inch of her life. Next to them, she saw the father of her baby, Noah Puckerman, nearly assaulting her best friend, Santana. _

_She felt as though her heart were breaking and she stood, watching for a moment before she felt someone come close to her, reaching his hand up to her rear end. She maneuvered herself away but someone else just came to her, reaching his hand up to her chest. Quinn tried to get away but she was beginning to get circled and soon, she was being pushing around from person to person, being touched and hit in ways she never thought she would happen to her. _

_She began to cry harder, trying to cover her face and her body but it made no difference. She was still being pushed around like a rag doll being fought over by a bunch of kindergarteners with no one to stop it and just as she felt someone press up against her, she shrieked, pushing them away and covering us much of her body as she could as she ran down the halls. _

Quinn shot her torso up, clutching the sheets to her chest and letting out a long scream as she recalled the terrifying dream she just had. She looked down at her body, relieved to see it was completely covered in clothes and she had her warm blankets over her legs. Gasping and breathing heavily, she looked outside. It was still dark out and she could see the stars through her drapes, twinkling in the sky.

Quinn sighed and lay back down on her pillows, snuggling under the warm covers. She reached to her bed side table and pulled her cell phone off, checking to see if she had any messages. She growled when she saw she had one. From Puck.

**'Sup preggers? **he'd said and Quinn could just hear the snide and sarcastic tone Puck usually carried around with him. **When's your first baby doctors appointment. I wanna go. **

Quinn rolled her eyes and looked at her clock. It was 2:37. _Yeah, Puck will definitely be up right now, _she thought to herself, pressing reply on her phone. **There is no way you are coming,** she quickly typed back, pressing 'Send.'

Less than one minute later, she got a response. **Why the hell not? It's my kid, isn't it? **

Quinn glared at the message, detesting every word he'd just written. She felt like throwing her phone across the room, shattering it into a million pieces but she didn't. Instead, she wrote a reply. **You just aren't coming, Puck, okay? I don't want you there. **She wished she could say that to him in person, to show him the harshness in her tone, the hatred and distaste, but she couldn't, so she just pressed send and waited for a response.

She didn't get one.

After a few minutes of no reply, Quinn hit 'New Text' and dialed Puck's number. **So, what are you doing? **

~*~

Puck looked at the message on his screen, sighing every other minute. He knew she didn't want him to be a part of the baby's life, he was just a Lima loser, but he wasn't. He was a badass stud. With a Mohawk and a nipple ring, so instead of letting little miss Christian-Girl get to him, he replied with a simple **Nothing. Was just about to go to bed. **

Now, of course that's not true, but Puck really didn't feel like talking to The Stuck-up one so he turned his attention back to his laptop screen. He'd been watching the 70's version of The Omen when Quinn had texted him and when he just played it again, an IM chat box popped up on the screen.

_God, people will just not leave the fuck alone, _he thought, looking at the IM box, praying to God it wasn't Finn.

_Rachel_Berry: _Hey.

Puck looked at the box curiously, tilting his head to the side, dumbfounded. Rachel Berry, IMing him in the morning, when she should in fact be asleep since she wasn't as badass as he was? He looked at the 'Hey' and laughed once, leaning toward his computer.

_Noah_Puckerman:_ hi. why are you up so late? don't you go to bed at like, six?

Puck smiled to himself as he saw the _Rachel_Berry is typing _at the bottom of the box. Knowing her, she was going to say something defensive, he laughed once again and waited. Sure enough…

_Rachel_Berry: _Oh, please, Noah. Not even toddlers go to bed at six. I'm only up because I was video chatting with my cousin in Texas and we lost track of time. When I saw you were on, I decided to talk to you.

_Noah_Puckerman: _i see. so, berry, what did you want to talk to me about? are you going to offer yourself to me because you know you just can't resist and have come to your utter most insanely sexy senses?

_Rachel_Berry: _Don't disgust me, Noah. I almost hurled in my mouth. I just wanted to know when it was good for you to practice for our duet?

Puck smiled at the message, feeling a flutter of butterflies in his stomach, although he didn't know why. I mean, come on. It's Rachel Berry for Christ's sake. The school freak, not to mention a total control maniac and loser. The Slushee queen, footballer's main target when throwing icy cold corn syrup in someone's face...

_Rachel_Berry:_ Noah? Are you there?

Puck shook his head, clearing it before he reached forward to type a reply.

_Noah_Puckerman: _um, anytime i guess. whenever you want to, berry.

_Rachel_Berry: _How about my house, tomorrow after school. I could give you a ride, if you wanted…

Again, Puck felt butterflies. Butterflies. In his stomach. What the fuck has happening to him. He didn't want stupid little winged insects fluttering around in his insides, let alone have them be fluttering for Rachel Berry.

_Noah_Puckerman: _yeah, sure.

_Rachel_Berry: _Good. And if it's not too much trouble, could you bring your guitar?

_Noah_Puckerman: _of course i can. see you tomorrow berry.

Then Puck saw that Rachel signed off. Of course she was going to bed now. It was almost three in the morning and she has to get up in three hours so she can have a good breakfa- Puck smacked himself in the face when he realized that he knew exactly what time Rachel gets up in the morning, and why.

"What the hell is happening to me?" he mused aloud, resting his elbow on his knee and his chin in his hand. "I'm, like, turning into a girl."

Just as he said this, Abbegail came flouncing in, clad in two-sizes-too-big navy blue sweatpants, a gigantic t-shirt that reached her elbows and knees and had 'I refuse to engage in a battle of wits with an unarmed person' on it as well as her bunny slippers, which had ears that were flopping back and forth with each move she made. "So, Puckie," she said, sitting across from him on his bed, "why are you turning into a girl?"

He glared at her, crossing his arms over his chest. "None of your business, Abbegail," he said, raising one eyebrow at her.

She raised her eyebrow back. "It is so my business. You're my brother and if you're planning on having a sex change anytime soon, I'd like to know. I'm sure Josefina wouldn't mind making a small and graceful reappearance." Puck glared at her once again. "Come on, Noah. Seriously, what's going on?"

He sighed, leaning against his wall. "I'm having girl troubles, Abbey," he said simply, closing his eyes.

She did a mock gasp, placing her hand over her chest in shock. "My brother, the badass, man-candy of McKinley high is having… girl troubles?" she said, whispering girl troubles as if it was forbidden to say as her eyes darted around the room, scanning for an unwanted presence.

"I knew you wouldn't understand and stop mocking me, Abbs," Puck said, looking at her pleadingly. "I'm serious here." She sighed. "Hey, I helped you with your little 'problem' you had with Jeffery or whatever his name is."

"Jeremy," Abbegail said sternly, crossing her legs like a first grader and leaning on her elbows. "So, what's the problem?"

Puck looked at the ceiling, not believing he was actually talking to his thirteen year old sister about this. "The problem is I don't know what the problem is."

Abbegail jerked her head back and let it come to a rest, confused. "What?"

He frowned. "I don't know. I mean, you know that girl Mom had over for brunch on Saturday?" Abbey shook her head. "Of course you don't, you were asleep," Puck mumbled under his breath, "but whatever, that's not the point. The point is, I feel different around her."

"Different… How?"

"I don't know, like, when I was IMing with her just now, when she asked to rehearse with me for our duet, I got a weird feeling in my stomach and sometimes, when I know I'm going to see her, I can't wait to, you know? I mean, it feels like I have a freaking generation of woodland insects habiting in my stomach, only to awake when I'm around her. Like, seriously, what the fuck is up with that?"

Abbegail smiled. "I think I know what the problem is," she said as if a doctor diagnosing an ailment. Puck looked at her hopefully. "You're in L-O-V-E, looooooove my dear brother!" He reached over and hit her shoulder, not super hard, but hard enough for her to move and wince. She then reached over and hit his face so hard he quickly brought his hand up to cool it. "I'm serious. That's the feeling I get whenever I'm doing something that involves Jeremy."

"And that's why I'm turning into a girl," Puck said, waving his hand in the air slightly. "I'm feeling the same way you do, and, last time I checked, you are very much a girl." She frowned at him. "I'm kidding, Abbs." She smirked at him, sticking her tongue out at him. "Anyway, I seriously don't think your hypothesis is correct," he said, crossing his arms over his chest.

Abbey shrugged, rolling her eyes. "Well, it's your decision on how to handle it, bro," she said, biting her lip as she always did when she was scared for her brother.

He nodded, reaching over to give her a one armed hug. "So, yeah. Thanks for the 'advice'," he said, using finger quotations. "Even if you did hit me in the face."

"Even if you did punch me in the arm," she said back to him. "But I love you, Noah. You're a wonderful brother."

"And you're a wonderful sister." She laughed, hugging him tighter. "God, I am _such _a girl," Puck said, complaining and shouting. Abbegail pulled away from him, laughing. "Well, unlike you I have to get up in three hours, so get out. I need sleep."

He shooed her off the bed and put his laptop on the floor, reaching over to his bedside table to turn off the light. Before he got a chance to, Abbey spoke. "What are you going to do about Brunch Girl?"

Puck turned off the light. "Good night, Abbegail," he said, closing his eyes.

There was complete silence in the room, but Puck knew his sister hadn't left. He could hear her breathing. "So, what are you going to do about Brunch Girl?"

Puck sighed and cursed himself for saying these next words. "You'll just have to wait and see."

Abbegail groaned, lifting up his sheets and crawling into bed next to him. "Oh, come on, you've _got _to give me more detail than that."

Puck laughed once. "Seriously, to tell you the truth, it all depends on Quinn."

"Who?"

"Quinn," Puck said, cracking his knuckles. "You know, the only smart blonde cheerleader."

Abbegail nodded her head. "Oh, Quinn," she said, dragging out the 'O.' "The girl you knocked up who's dating your best friend."

Puck nodded. "That'd be the one."

Puck and Abbegail lay in silence for a few minutes before she quietly huffed. "Well, if it all depends of Quinn, even though I seriously disagree with how you're dealing with this, then I say, be a good daddy, but don't screw up your love life. Make the decisions that are right for you." Abbey reached out and took her bothers hand, squeezing it once. "Just remember that the next time you talk to either of them, please."

Puck nodded, keeping his sisters words close to heart because, even though he hated to admit it, his sister was pretty damn smart. All the fucking time.

~*~

When Rachel woke up the next morning, she heard her cell phone blaring, the sound washing out the Celine Dion song that was playing on her iPod. She reached over and pulled it off her nightstand, seeing what the commotion was about. _Kurt _was scrawled across the screen along with _New Text Message. _Rachel groaned. Her phone rang again, reminding her she had the text.

Sighing she flipped her phone up the sideways way, pressing okay so she could read the message. **Heard about football field romance. Come to me as soon as you get to school. Not kidding, diva! Love Kurt. **

Rachel rolled her eyes, feeling a twisting in her stomach just thinking about what had happened yesterday afternoon with Jacob and how Puck had saved her, then he kiss… She sighed, sinking back into her gigantic pile of goose down pillows, reminiscing about the previous day.

Humming mindlessly, Rachel slipped out of bed and wandered into her bathroom. After locking the door, she reached over to her sink where she pressed 'Play' on her iHome speakers. The song _Caught Up in You _by Cassi Thompson came on and she pulled off her nightdress before she turned up the music as loud as it would go and stepped into the shower.

_I'm so in love,  
And I can't fight the feeling.  
My heart is helpless and I can't resist.  
I still remember when the world stood still babe.  
The first time we kissed.  
_Rachel sang along with the song as she squirted strawberry shampoo into her hands, soon bubbling her hair with berry scented goo.

_  
You're all I see  
When I think of forever  
Me minus you just wouldn't make much sense.  
Boy, I believe,  
We were meant for each other,  
So lets give it a chance.  
_

She pulled the shower head off the wall and brought it to her mouth as if it was a microphone.

_  
I'm caught up in you  
I'm facing the truth  
What else can I do  
With all these emotions, Cause I'm  
I'm falling deeper in every way_

I cant sleep at night  
Cause nothing feels right  
I can't deny  
'Bout how, when your near me, my love,  
Grows stronger every day.

Ohh, ohh, yeah.  
Caught up in you.

Rachel put the shower head back on the wall and sank down, leaning her head against the wall and she listened to the next part of the song, thinking of Noah Puckerman.

_  
Before your love,  
My heart was broken.  
I didn't think that it would ever mend.  
And then you came, into my life  
Boy, now I don't need to pretend._

I'm caught up in you.  
I'm facing the truth.  
What else can I do,  
With all these emotions, Cause I'm,  
I'm falling deeper in every way.

I cant sleep at night,  
Cause nothing feels right.  
I can't deny,  
'Bout how, when your near me, my love,  
Grows stronger every day.

Rachel, reached her foot across the tub and turned the faucet off with her toes, sitting in the remaining water that was still residing in her shower. As the song ended, she stood up, wrapping a towel around her body and tucking a corner into an edge to make it stay without having to physically hold it. She stepped toward her sink and brought her hand up to the mirror, writing her name in swirly cursive print before flattening her hand and wiping away the steam, condensation and her name.

She looked at her reflection with her hair sticking to her neck and face while little beads of water dripped down her forehead, over her nose as they then proceeded to roll over her lips, which she curled up in a smile, trying out her flirtatious grin. It failed. Epically. _I look like I'm trying to blow him with my eyes, _she thought to herself as she turned away. _Oh, wait… _Rachel smiled deviously to herself as she walked through her room and to her closet. She vigorously flung the double doors open and scanned her clothes, trying to find something to wear after she'd pulled on a bra and underwear.

She was about to grab and gray pleated skirt and her medium blue argyle sweater, but she saw a dress hanging in the very corner of her closet and Rachel reached up to her neck to hold her necklace charm tightly in her hand. The dress she saw was, in fact, the same color of her necklace pendent—aquamarine—and the dress seemed to appeal to her, just as the necklace had. Just as her mother's necklace had.

She remembered the day she'd gotten the necklace as though it were yesterday.

_"Rachel, dear, would you come down here, please!" her daddy called to her form the bottom of the stairs. _

_Rachel groaned but stood up from her desk and walked through her room and out her door. "Wha-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-at?" she said, dragging out the word for as long as she could without losing her breath. _

_"Come here, sweetheart." She trudged down the stairs and to the living room where her dad waited with her daddy. "Sit down, please." _

_Rachel could see Dad was holding something in his hand, but she couldn't tell what is was; he was holding it behind his back. "What's going on…?" she said slowly as she sat on the couch in front of them. "Am I in trouble?" _

_Daddy shook his head. "Of course not!" he said, placing his hand on her knee. "We, your father and I, want to give you something." _

_"Something special. For your birthday," Dad added in, smiling at his daughter. _

_Rachel perked up immediately, sitting up as straight as she could. "Okay, what is it?" Her fathers looked at each other as if maybe this wasn't such a good idea after all, but Rachel was bouncing in her seat, waiting for a response. "Well? What is it?" _

_Her dad sighed, squatting down on the floor in front of her. "Rachel, now that you're thirteen, we think it's time you got this," he said, holding out a blue velvet box that was so big it covered his whole hand. "A gift." _

_Rachel smiled. "From who?" she said deviously, taking the box from him. _

_Her daddy sighed just as her dad had done. "Your mother," he said quietly, taking his partner's hand nervously. _

_Rachel looked at her fathers with a sad and shocked look on her face. "What?" she whispered, lifting the lid to the box. _

_The two fathers looked at her, sad looks on their faces. "Yes," her dad said, sitting on the couch next to his husband. "Your mother left it for you, before we took you home. She's left you a note, an explanation to a few things." Rachel looked down and saw that there was in fact a ivory piece of paper with 'Rachel' scrolled on the top. "We'll leave you alone to read it." _

_As her fathers left, Rachel reached a cautious and shaky hand out to the paper and unfolded it once. _

_Dear Rachel, _

_By the time you're reading this, it's your first birthday as a teenager. Happy birthday thirteenth, sweetie. I'm so sad that I couldn't be there to see you start your first day as a woman, but I'm sure if I were there, you would be acting just like your Dad, sophisticated and refined, he always was. Your daddy on the other hand… _

_But, I really just want to tell you that I love you. I have since the moment your fathers gave me you to me. Watching you grow inside my tummy was just a gift and it hurt me to see you go. You know that feeling when you took a test you worked really hard for and when you get the score back and it's a not-so-great grade and you get this feeling in your stomach that someone punched you while there's a lump in your throat and you try to keep from crying? Saying goodbye to my first baby ever was 10,000,000,000 times worse than that. _

_The necklace you see in the box? It's an aquamarine gem, the birthstone for March. That's the month I was born in and my mother gave it to me when I was thirteen, just like you sweetie. I want you to have something to remember me by, to have me with you always. _

_I love you, Rachel Ariella Berry_

_Love, Mom_

_Rachel wiped her nose and looked at the necklace in the box. It was a simple silver chain, holding a rather large aquamarine gemstone as big as her thumbnail. She took it out of the box and unhooked it, fastening around her neck. The pendent bumped against her chest and finally came to a rest; it was heavy and cold. _

_Wiping away her tears, Rachel held the ivory paper to her chest and sniffled, whispering, "I love you, too, Mom." _

Rachel turned away from her closet and scurried to her dresser. She yanked open her top drawer which was full of socks, underwear and bras, shuffling to the back where she found the blue box. She gingerly pulled it out and opened it, seeing the same ivory note sitting there but the edges were getting worn and there were a few rips in the corners from how many times she had taken it out and looked at it over the past three years. The paper which had once been rough was now soft and wrinkled.

Shaking her head, Rachel carefully closed the bow and put it back with her essentials and closed the drawer, leaning against her dresser. "Not now, Berry," she said to herself, running a hand through her damp hair. "Keep yourself composed. Don't go off on a crying fit now. It'll just make your nose and eyes red and then it will take hours for them to calm down. We don't have hours. School starts in forty-five minutes. Be composed and mature. You are a woman."

With a satisfied nod, Rachel went back to get closet and pulled out the aquamarine dress and slipped it on, pulling the zipper up her back. She spotted a pair of white strappy sandals and grabbed them, sitting on the edge of her bed as she did up the little buckles. She was humming along with the newest song on her iPod—_Slow Me Down _by Emmy Rossum—as she went into her bathroom to brush her teeth and hair, using a blow drier to make it dry more quickly so she could get to school on time.

She ran down stairs and started packing up her backpack then realized she was missing a binder. "Daddy! Dad! Have you seen my pink binder! I can't find it!"

Jared walked around the corner wearing a bathrobe and holding a mug of coffee, his hair all frazzled and messy, sticking up in all different directions. "Which pink binder?" he said groggily, scratching the back of his neck.

She glared at him. "The only pink binder I have, father," she said in a snappy and sassy tone, placing on hand on her hip.

"You really should talk to your dad about this. He's more observant when it comes to you and your school things, since he wants to make sure you have a good education."

Rachel nodded, spinning on her heels and bounding up the stairs, into her parent's room. "Dad, my pink binder? Seen it anywhere?"

He turned to her, his chin pointed up as he did up his tie. He was wearing black pants and dress shoes, a white collared shirt and thin black suspenders, as well as the black tie he was adjusting. "I believe you left it in the den, sweetheart. I remember seeing it there at one time or another." She smiled at him, raising an eyebrow. "I have a big meeting today." He slipped his arms through the sleeves on his slick black jacket. "If I know what I'm doing and look the part, I could get promoted. That means the new piano you wanted," he said teasingly, smiling at her lovingly.

Rachel squealed, running over to him. "Oh, good luck , Dad," she said, hugging him tightly.

"Thanks pumpkin. I'll see you tonight. Have your homework done before dinner, alright sweetheart?" Rachel nodded, smiling. "Good. Bye sweetie!" Then he ran down the stairs and out the front door.

Rachel shook her head once, smiling to herself as she made her way down the stairs and to the den where she started searching endlessly for her binder. She had no luck, but she did find her white sweater, which the then slipped on before zipping up her backpack, kissing her daddy goodbye and heading out the door to her car.

~*~

"Rachel! Rachel Berry get your perfect little tushie over here!" Rachel looked out her window to see Kurt waving his hand frantically to her while his wingwomen, Mercedes and Tina, were standing one either side of him.

Rolling her eyes, she climbed out of her car and grabbed her backpack, walking toward them with a devilish grin on her face. "Yes?" she said innocently, looking up at the three glee clubbers with wide and angelic eyes.

"Tell us everything," Kurt ordered, grabbing Rachel's hand and dragging her to a nearby bench where they all sat around her, waiting impatiently for the story.

She looked at them curiously, smiling slightly. "Well, there's not much to tell."

Mercedes snorted, waving her hand in the air. "Girl, I find that way hard to believe," she said, looking at Rachel both jokingly and seriously. "Now, come on. Give us the juicy details."

"And if the details aren't juicy, at least make sure they're sticky," he said, whining.

Rachel sighed, pushing her hair out of her face. "Okay, well, I was sitting on the bleachers, waiting for football practice to be over so I could propose a song we sing together for our duet. When that was happening, stupid Jacob Ben Israel came over and tired to feel me up-" Kurt, Mercedes and Tina all made noises of disgust when she said this, their faces scrunching up as they pictured the unpleasantness. "So anyway, just as something bad, and I mean bad, was about to happen, Noah came in and saved the day, telling Jacob to, and I say this only to quote Noah's words since I am not one for swearing, 'Get the hell out of here.'" The three of them 'awe'd and Rachel felt her cheeks get hot. "So then, we were sitting there, I was crying and then I just, sort of… Kissed him."

Kurt slapped a hand over his mouth, drowning out his gasps. "You kissed him? How was it? Did he use his tongue? Was there any upper body fondling. Oh," he said, going into his own little fantasy world.

Rachel stared at him, waving a hand in front of his face. "Uh, is he okay?" she said when he made to sign of motion.

Tina nodded. "Yes-s-s, h-h-h-he's fine," she said, reaching over and yanking at one of his preciously styled hairs.

"Ow! Tina!" he said, jokingly hitting her shoulder. "Watch what you're doing! You almost messed up my 'do." Mercedes laughed. "Anyway," he said, fixing his hair with one hand, "what happened then?"

"Nothing," Rachel said, shrugging. "I just went home." Mercedes looked disappointed, as did the others. "_But, _I do have practice with him after school for our duet, so if anything happens, I will report to you A.S.A.P. tomorrow before school, okay?" They all nodded just as the bell rang. "Okay, guys. I have to go to Chemistry slash try to find my Chemistry binder, for I have lost it. See you all later!" she called over her shoulder as she flounced off to her class.

"Yep," Mercedes said to Kurt and Tina, standing up. "She is definitely fallin' for that boy."

Kurt stood up and offered his arms to the two girls. "Well, we better keep a close eye on him then. If he does anything to hurt the diva, he's going down like the Titanic when it hit that frigging iceberg."

~*~

Puck was sitting in the lab, listening to his English teacher drone on and on about Shakespearean times and how during the next two terms, they will be analyzing three of Shakespeare's plays. Today, they were just going to listen to a reading of Romeo and Juliet while doing whatever the hell they wanted. When his teacher said this, he found it rather surprising, but didn't disagree. Now he could go on F My Life and make fun of all the losers who either did their girlfriend who would then proceed to break up with them or just really bad life stories that would make him fell so much better than he did now.

But first he had to check his e-mail.

He logged into Gmail and scanned the stuff he had, Fwds from his mother, e-mails from the school about what was happening lately, a few emails from his sister about picking her up at 12:30 so she can go to her dance class on time and just stupid emails from colleges. He deleted the emails from his mother and the ones from college, but opened one from his sister and read the message.

Noah, dance at 1:00, can't be late. Mom's working the day and graveyard shift, so you need to take me. Please don't be late! Love you, Abbey

He smirked, shaking his head slowly. Ever since Abbegail had been taken out of the middle school, Puck had had to get excused from school to take her to the places she needed to be, dance classes, piano lessons, acting classes and, of course, voice lessons and for Puck, everything had been different for him ever since Abbey had left school in February.

He opened another email from her.

And, if it wouldn't be too much trouble, Kae needs a ride…? Any possibility? 

Again, Puck smirked. Kae, Abbey's best friend, was a year older then her and, because she was a year older then her, Kae thought that it was possible to hit on Puck at any given moment. He had to say, at some times, she'd gotten him thinking, but then he just throws up in his mouth thinking about dating a fourteen year old, especially at seventeen. Well, not seventeen, sixteen years, eleven months and twenty two days. Sue him for knowing how many days until his birthday.

Puck heard a 'blueep!', the sound of the Gmail chat box popping up.

Mike: hey dude.

Puck: sup man? what's going on?

Mike: nothing. i'm just bored. i, uh, heard this thing about you and the Slushee queen?

Puck groaned out loud and he heard Mike snicker in the corner of the lab. He stared at the message for a while before responding as slowly as he could.

Puck: yeah, we kissed a few times. and I talked to abbey about it. can you believe it? i actually had a conversation with The Brain. and it was a normal conversation too.

Mike: you had an ACTUAL conversation with your sister?

Puck: surprising, isn't it?

Mike: were you drunk?

Puck: … uh, no…

Mike: was she drunk?

Puck: mike, dude, she's thirteen.

Mike: that doesn't answer my question.

Puck: no, she wasn't drunk. we were both very much sober. and normal too. it was weird.

Puck could practically hear Mike gaping at the screen across the room. There was no reply for a while, and just as Puck saw the _Mike says_... in the little box, the bell rang, releasing him from his torture. He logged out of both his Gmail account and his school login account before grabbing his binder, and Rachel's pink one, heading down the hall, in search of the Slushee queen.

He stopped short when he saw her standing by her locker, her chocolate brown hair cascading over her shoulder like a waterfall. He took a deep breath and was about to walk over to her when Quinn suddenly appeared out of absolutely nowhere and stopped him, a hand on his shoulder. "Look, Puck," she said, her eyes sad, "I'm sorry about this morning."

"Yeah, whatever," he said, shrugging.

He tried to step around her but she did a little backwards dance to stay in front of him. "No, it's not whatever. Would you just listen to me for a minute?" He sighed but stayed where he was to listen. "The reason I was like that was because, well, I'm not even sure if I'm going to keep the baby."

He laughed once. "Even if you don't keep the baby, you're going to have to go to the doctor's appointments and shit like that."

"No, Puck." She looked at him as if she was almost about to cry; he could see the tears welling up, about to spill over. "I'm not sure if I'm going to _keep _keep it. You know like… get an-"

"Abortion," Puck said, interrupting her while finishing her sentence. She nodded and Puck could feel his heart literally sink in his chest and he felt like he was going to cry himself, but no. Badasses do _not _cry. Under any circumstances. Unless, of course, the piñata in his party has somehow been damaged, and by piñata, I hope you know what I mean. Yes, his balls. So, Puck just sucked in a huge breath and shrugged. "Okay, Quinn, but just remember this… What I do all depends on what you do." Puck thought back to his conversation with his little sister. "Whatever you do, make sure it's the decision that's right for you."

Quinn raised an eyebrow at him. "Puck, what are you talking about?"

He shrugged. "I dunno," he said, clearing knowing; Quinn could sense it. "I have a binder to return. I'll see you later, Quinn."

Then he left her standing there with a confused look on her face but Puck didn't glance back once as he made his way to Rachel Berry, reaching out his free hand to tap her shoulder. When she turned around, Puck was completely blown away with how beautiful she looked. The color of her dress brought out the sparkle in her eye, making her look more bright and beautiful. Her hair had been curled more then it usually was and it framed her face, giving her a soft complexion while, at the same time, she had a seductive way about her. _Maybe it's her legs, _Puck mused inside his head as he just stood there, staring.

"Uh, Noah?" Rachel pulled at his t-shirt. "You alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," Puck said, snapping out of his daydream. "I, uh, have your binder. You dropped it in the hall yesterday and I found it, so here."

She gasped, relived, and threw her arms around his neck. "Oh, thank you _so _much, Noah. My teacher was going to kill me if I had lost it; she was yelling at me so much because I didn't have my homework, but now I can go turn it into her. Thanks!" Rachel said, overly giddy.

Puck nodded once. "Yeah, no problem." There was a silence between the two of them before Puck sighed. "So, I'll meet you by your teeny tiny car after school?" Rachel nodded, smiling softly to him. "Okay, bye Berry."

Then he sauntered off, leaving Rachel in a romance trance and little did either of them know, Mercedes and Kurt had been off on the sidelines, seeing what had gone on, both with Quinn and Puck, and Puck and Rachel and they knew that something was up. Something big.

"Yep," Kurt said, looping his arm through Mercedes'. "Definitely going down like the Titanic."

**So, did it all make sense? If any of you don't get anything, if something was unclear or you are just down write confused with the texting, IMing and chatting on Gmail, let me know so I can fix it up. But I hope you liked Breakfast. Sorry it took me sooooo long to make, but I had trouble on how much sugar to add. Was it enough? I know I put some brother/sister love in there, as well as some sad memories from the past, but Rachel, as you can oh so plainly tell, is falling in love with the pancakes. But the pancakes aren't so sure about how they feel having raspberries mixed in with the double syrup. P.S. by the way, Quinn and the baby are the double syrup, just so you're not confused. REVIEW LITTLE CHILDREN AND TELL ME HOW YOU LIKED BREAKFAST BUT ALSO IF YOU WANT KURT TO HAVE A LOVE INTEREST!!!!! **


	8. Solve It In Song

**Okay, Breakfast time! There's a little bit of sadness in this chapter as well as hilarity, so be warned, please? Ooh, and, a reference to last Breakfast, pancakes and raspberries. YUM! **

Chapter Eight: Solve It In Song

Puck looked at his watch. It read 12:30. If he didn't leave now, he'd be late picking up Abbey and Kae. As he was about to head to the office to check out, he stopped, remembering that Matt had given him a ride to he could go home with Rachel without having to leave his car in the parking lot.

He started going through people's schedules in his mind, seeing who was available for driving. Mike had double Chemistry so that was out, Matt was in gym and wouldn't skip it if his life depended on it, Finn was in math and wasn't allowed to leave even if he needed to, Mercedes drives with Kurt… not likely Puck's going to ask Beyonce to drive him… Puck shivered at the thought.

Anyway, moving on.

Quinn wouldn't drive him just because she can't stand to be around him because of the whole baby thing, Artie _can't _drive, Tina… Eh, touchy subject, Santana would probably just distract him into having sex then he wouldn't want to go pick up Abbey at all and Britney… She doesn't know how to drive. Or if she does, she's too stupid to know how to operate a vehicle. The only option he had was Rachel. Well, not his only option. He could ask Kurt, Mercedes or Santana, but maybe he just wanted Rachel to take him. Maybe.

He knew, just by chance, obviously, that Rachel had lunch at this point so he sauntered off to the cafeteria to find her. He found her easily, she was chatting loudly to Mercedes, Tina and Artie. Sucking in a huge breath, Puck walked over to her table and loomed over her, one hand on the back of her chair, the other on the table next to her empty tray. She only stopped talking when she saw his shadow over her and she looked up, smiling slightly when she saw him.

"Hey, Ber- Rachel." She bit the corner of her lip, trying to fight away her smile. "Could you do me a huge favor?"

Rachel nodded, folding her hands gracefully on her lap and putting a pleasant look on her face. "Sure, Noah. Anything," she said, standing up and taking his hand.

Puck, in turn, squeezed her hand once and smiled.

"Alright," the plump lady behind the reception desk said, putting down her pen. "Here's your pass. Just make sure that you give it to someone as soon as possible with a parent signature to prove you actually did-"

"Take my sister to her class," Puck said, taking the piece of paper from her. "I know the drill Mrs. Phelps. Thanks."

She smiled at the two teens and they swiftly walked out the door, their bags hanging loosely on their shoulders. Rachel dug her keys out of her bag and pressed the unlock button on her automatic… Whatever that thing was called… and the lights on her car flashed. Puck just happened to noticed that the skirt to Rachel's dress was dancing around her legs and rear end and Puck couldn't help but stare. He even fell behind her just so he could watch. When Rachel stopped, he nearly ran into her, but stopped, balancing on his toes so he wouldn't touch her at all.

That failed.

He began to teeter forward and then fell, pressing her against the side of her car. She made a slight 'Oof!' sound, but Puck paid no attention. He just stayed as he was for a minute before she let out a breathless, "Noah… I can't breathe!"

He quickly pushed off, wiping his hands on the front of his shirt absentmindedly. "Sorry," he said apologetically, even though he really wasn't that sorry at all.

Rachel smiled, her cheeks flushed with embarrassment. "It's quite alright, Noah," she said, straightening her dress. "Let's go. I know what it's like to wait for someone to take me to ballet class and I was never happy. Teen girls who take ballet generally aren't."

Puck laughed once and nodded, walking to the passenger side of the car and climbing in. "This is possibly the smallest car I've even been in," he said, adjusting awkwardly. He had to scrunch his neck and bend his legs in the most uncomfortable positions until he fit into the car properly, no matter how awkward it was to sit. "This is really hurting my neck," he said as they pulled out of the parking lot and onto the road.

Rachel sighed. "Nothing I haven't heard before. If you need to, tilt the back of the chair. Sometimes helps…"

Puck tilted the chair back halfway, the straightened his legs, adjusting to make himself more comfortable. "Ah," he said, his tone slightly high pitched, as if he discovered something new. "That's much better." Rachel smiled.

They drove in silence for about ten minutes before she reached to her radio, pushing in the C.D. that sticking half out of the little slot. _Bad Romance _started playing through the car and Puck's face lit up. "Oh, I love this song." His voice, again, was high pitched.

Rachel nearly slammed on the breaks when he said this and Puck's eyes widened at the words that had come out of his mouth. "You… What?"

"Uh, because I, um, have a little sister. She turns her music up, um, really loud. I've become accustomed to her songs and a few of them have weaseled their way into my 'Favorites' playlist. Sue me." Rachel mouth twisted in a slightly amused smile as she turned around the corner, pulling into Puck's driveway. She put the car in neutral and sat back as if she was going to wait for Puck to get his sister. "You… You wanna come in?"

Rachel opened and shut her mouth a few times before answering 'Sure.' She pulled the keys out of the ignition and climbed out of the car, following puck to his front door. He barged right into the house and waited for Rachel to walk in before he slammed the door shut.

"Abbey!" he screamed, walking to the kitchen.

"Noah!" a voice screamed back, but this one wasn't as 'Let's get a move on' as Puck's was. This was more frantic and scared.

Rachel heard some banging coming from the kitchen as Puck replied. "What, Abbs?" There was the slam of a door and when Rachel looked up, she saw the door that was right after the staircase had been closed. The sound of someone vomiting rang through her ears and she shivered. There was some coughing, then vomiting again.

"Noah?" Rachel whispered, hugging her arms tightly.

"What?" he said, walking to her and rubbing his hands over her shoulders and down her arms. She nodded toward the stairwell in front of her and Noah turned around. "Abbey?" There was no response as he climbed up the first couple steps. "Abbey?" Nothing. "Abbegail!"

There was a quiet moan and Puck shot up the stairs, opened the door before shutting it again. Rachel could some sobbing, some shushing and consoling words before the door opened again and Puck walked out. He left it wide open as he clambered back down to the kitchen. She couldn't help but stare as she saw a beautiful girl with pink tights, a black ballet skirt and wrap that covered a pink leotard. Her hair was pulled back into a slick and fat bun with some loose strands falling out, coming down in curls. Rachel saw a purple ballet bag by the bathroom door with silky pink ribbons falling out of the opening, indicating that Abbegail was already in her point shoes.

The young teen was standing in front of the sink, leaning in slightly as she jerked a toothbrush around her mouth. She looked to her left and smiled, taking the toothbrush out of her mouth. "Oh, you're.." She then stopped, holding up a finger to Rachel while she spit into the sink and rinsed her toothbrush with water and her mouth with mouthwash. She dabbed the corners of her mouth with a washcloth then grabbed her bag, bouncing down the stairs. "You're Brunch Gi- I mean, you're Rachel," she said happily, sitting on the stairs to slip her feet into ballet flats.

"You're Abbey," Rachel said, holding her hands behind her back.

Puck came around the corner again, this time holding a plastic water bottle with _Kristen Ballet Academy _printed on it and an orange prescription bottle in his hands. Abbey was tying two ribbons around her bun as Puck opened it. "How many?"

"They said two," she said, tying them into a knot before she made the bow. She held her hand out and Puck placed two pills into her hand and gave her the water bottle. "Thanks." Her words were quiet as if she was embarrassed at what had just happened as she swallowed the pilled, drowning them with water.

Puck nodded and reached into his pocket, pulling out a fat pack of spearmint gum. "Here," he said just as quietly as her thanks. "Gum always helps, right?" His sister nodded and Puck took one out for her, one for himself then offered one to Rachel. She shook her head slowly, keeping her eyes on his sister. Abbegail handed him the wrapper and he tossed it behind him while he chewed on his piece of gum. She reached up and wiped tears from under her eyes and Puck pulled her close, kissing her cheek before eloping her in a tight hug.

"It's okay, baby," he whispered, rubbing her back. "You're gonna pull through this. I promise."

Abbey nodded and pulled away from her brother. "Alright, let's go," she said, sniffing and picking up her ballet bag.

"Are you sure you wanna go? Do you feel up to the challenge?" Puck gave her a small smile.

She smirked at him. "It's ballet, not cliff diving." Puck nodded and smiled, ushering her out the door. "Oh, by the way, Kae called. She said her mom was able to pick her up and take her," she called over her shoulder as she skipped over to Rachel's Yaris.

Puck looked up to the sky and put his hands in prayer position, mouthing 'Thank you.' Abbey glared at him but smiled when Puck gave her a giant grin, baring his teeth at her. Rachel restrained herself from asking what happened to Abbey, since it was none of her business but she found it hard to not stick her nose into it. But she did keep her mouth shut while they drove to the ballet studio. She put the car in park and Puck climbed out, tilting his chair forward so Abbey could climb out.

"We'll be here at four to get you, okay. So, be ready, alright?" he said, hopping back in the car. Abbey nodded and started to walk away but just as she was at the door, she stopped and turned around, jogging to the car. She knocked on Puck's window and he rolled it down half way. "What?"

She smiled. "Daddy's picking me up," she said, biting her lip.

Puck nodded slowly. "Right," he said, dragging out the 'I'. "Forgot." Abbey nodded and tapped her fingers on the edge of the glass before Puck smiled. "Okay, go. You're going to be late."

"Okay, bye." She leaned in and gave him a quick peck on the cheek. "Bye, Puck. Bye Rachel. Thank you for the ride. I'll see you later."

She ran toward the door and Puck called out, "See you, squirt," as she waved to them before disappearing into the studio.

Puck leaned back a sighed and leaned his head against the head rest, closing his eyes. Rachel gripped the steering wheel and leaned her head against her hands, staring at Puck. He must have felt her looking at him because he opened his eyes and turned her head to look at her. "What?" he said, a small smile on his face. Rachel shook her head, pulling out of the parking lot and heading back to Puck's house. "Seriously, what?"

She smiled. "You better not let anyone at school see you acting that way towards your sister. It'll ruin your badass reputation," she said, smirking at him playfully.

He laughed once, biting his lip. "Yeah, probably. But, I mean…"

"You mean, what?"

He looked at her deeply for a minute, then sighed. "Promise not to call me a total pussy for saying this?" Rachel nodded, looking at him as they came to a red light. "Well, she's my baby sister. I see her more then I see my own mom. I can't act like a total dick to her, you know?" Rachel nodded again. "And not only that but it's my job to take care of her. Mom's at the hospital all the time working double, sometimes even triple, shifts so I'm the one who has to watch after her, get her what she needs, just… Basically be her parent."

Rachel began to drive again when the light flashed green. "What about your dad? I mean, she said that he was picking her up so he has to be in the picture, doesn't he?"

Puck shook his head. "Nope."

"What do you mean?"

He was silent for a while, looking out the window at the buildings and trees moving by. "Our parents are divorced. My dad comes around once and a while but it's mostly just me and Abbey."

"Oh," Rachel said, growing quiet. "I'm sorry."

Puck shrugged. "Eh, it's no big deal. We get by just fine. I work when I can in between taking care of Abbey and school, so it's not too bad."

"You know, hanging out with me would probably ruin your badass reputation," she said in a more quiet tone.

Puck looked at her out of the corner of his eye and saw that she was gripping the steering wheel tightly in her hands and was staring hard at the road. After a minute, he smiled. "Well, if it does tarnish my record of being totally badass I'll just wave it off."

"Really?" She didn't sound sure.

"Of course not." Rachel laughed once. "I'll just kick the crap out of who ever says I'm not badass. Just to show how badass I truly am."

Rachel nodded, smiling as she pulled into Puck's driveway. "So… You wanna come in? Again?"

But before she could even answer, Puck had climbed out of the car and opened her door for her.

They were standing in Puck's kitchen two hours later, waiting for Abbey to get home. For the past few hours they had talked, gotten to know each other more.

It went something like this…

_Puck was by the kitchen table, leaning on his elbows, staring at Rachel and she was doing the same, staring back. _

_ "Go on," Puck said, smiling deviously at her. _

_ Rachel glared at him but spoke. "My first kiss was in second grade with…" _

_ She trailed off and Puck nudged her elbow. "With who?" _

_ "Jacob Ben Israel," she said, grimacing. Puck's mouth twisted into a smirk. "Yep. That's when the stalking started. Second grade, after that one kiss in truth or dare during recess." _

_ Puck laughed, tilting his head back to catch air. "That probably wasn't such a good move, Berry. Look where it got you," he said, standing up straight so she couldn't hit him. _

_ Rachel let her features fall into an un amused face. "Gee, thank you, I'm so glad I'm talking to you. You're so supportive," she said in a sarcastic tone that made Puck laugh even more. "What about you, Mr. Ladies Man? When was your first kiss?" _

_ That question made Puck stop laughing, his face falling serious. Rachel smiled at that, proud she'd found his week spot. "You don't need to know that." _

_ Rachel gave him a curious and devious look. "Oh, come on!" she said in a whiny voice, getting up and walking closer; she leaned against the table across from him. "Please?" _

_ She gave him a puppy dog face, pouting her lip as much as she could. Puck groaned. "Santana." _

_ Rachel snorted. "Original." Puck made a face at her, then leaned against the fridge. "When?" she said, running a hand through her hair. _

_ "Freshman year." _

_ Rachel's mouth fell open in shock. "You mean to tell me, you weren't the ladies man of the school until freshman year?" _

_ Puck looked at the floor, twisting the toe of his sneaker into the hard wood. "Actually it was sophomore year," he mumbled shamefully. _

_ Rachel slapped a hand over her mouth. "Noah, I am shocked! I thought that you were all that back in sixth grade!" _

_ Noah glared at her, his cheeks flushed pink. "Shut up," he said, nudging her foot with his own. "And it's not like it totally doesn't turn you on." Rachel gave him a confused look. "Oh come on, Berry. Don't tell me that the fact I haven't been as studly as you believed me to be doesn't urge you in anyway," he said, standing up straight and walking over to her and leaning in close. _

_ He places his hands on either side of her on the table, his face only centimeters away from her own. "We- Well, I'm not u- usually someone who would be-" _

_ "Shut up, Berry," Puck said when he could see that it was working. She was getting turned on. "Just, come 'ere." He nodded his head to the side, motioning for her to move closer. She obeyed, leaning in and pressing her lips against his lightly. _

_ Puck then quickly captured her, pressing her tightly to his body. _

And that's how it went. For two hours, they talked, made out a little bit, then talked some more.

It was now overly warm in the kitchen due to the stove and the oven set on high, blasting out heat. They paid no mind to it though as they shuffled around the kitchen, boiling pasta and making garlic bread.

"Here, try this," Puck said, holding a wooden spoon to her with his hand cupped under it. She opened her mouth and he let her try the pasta sauce. She licked her lips and let the sauce rest in her mouth for a minute before she swallowed. "Well?"

She smiled. "It's good, Noah. I had no idea you could cook, let alone have this much skill in it," she said, going back to chopping the garlic cloves.

Puck smiled, kissing her cheek. He let his lips linger there while he said, "Yeah, I'm just full of surprises."

She nudged him away with her elbow and smiled, giving him a sideways glace. Puck pulled the pot of sauce off the stove and placed it on a pot holder just as they both heard a key in the door knob, followed by the door creaking open. "I'm home!" Abbey called, dropping her bag by the stairs.

"In the kitchen, Abb!" Puck called back.

Rachel heard some whispering, then a 'Oh, come on! You're such a wuss,' before Abbey appeared in the kitchen, towing a middle aged man behind her. Rachel put her knife on the cutting board and reached out to pull at Puck's sleeve. He turned and saw his sister there with the man. "Hey, Dad," he said quietly, wiping his hands on the seat of his jeans.

"Hi, Noah," the man said back. Everyone stood there awkwardly for a moment before Puck's father reached a hand over the table to Rachel. "Hi, I'm Eli, Noah's dad."

"Rachel, Noah's… Uh…"

"Friend," Puck said, wrapping his arm around Rachel's waist protectively when he saw his father giving her a once over. "We're working on a duet together in glee."

Eli nodded. "Oh, that's right. You're doing that, uh, singing thing, um, now." Puck nodded, pulling Rachel closer.

There was silence again and Rachel weaseled away from Puck to check on the pasta. "Daddy, will you stay for dinner?" Abbey said, pulling at the sleeve to her father's leather jacket.

He shook his head slowly at her, pulling her hand away. "Not tonight, chick pea," he said quietly, stroking his thumb across her cheek bone. "I don't think you're brother is in an agreeable mood tonight."

Abbey turned and gave Puck a pleading look. He shook his head as well. "Not tonight, Abbs."

She slumped her position and sighed. "Fine," she said, dragging out the 'I'.

Eli turned to her and gave her a hug, picking her up and spinning around lightly with her a few times before putting her down. "I'll see you on Sunday, okay? We'll go out to your favorite place and catch up, alright? I know you've got a lot of things to tell me," he said, rubbing the top of her head and kissing her forehead. "Bye, pumpkin."

"Bye, Daddy," she said sadly, flopping down in a kitchen chair and breathing out.

Their father nodded and looked at Puck. "Can I talk to you for a minute?" he said, nodding his head once to his son.

Puck followed his father out of the kitchen and to the entry way. Rachel looked at Abbey, who looked back, shrugging in a way that said 'I have no idea what's going on.' She nodded and whispered that she'd be right back before creeping down the hall way, pressing her back against the cool wall to listen.

"So, how is she?" she heard Puck's father say. Rachel secretly looked around the corner and saw the two of them standing there, Puck's back to her. "She didn't want to talk about it when I asked."

Puck ran a hand over his Mohawk, sighing. "She's fine. I mean, she threw up earlier today, just before me and Rach dropped her off at ballet, but that's the only thing that's happened for a while," he said, crossing his arms over his chest.

"And that's it? Only vomiting?" Puck shook his head. "What else?"

He let out a shuddery sigh before continuing. "It's spreading. It's moved from her shoulder blades to her shoulders and her whole back."

Rachel made a confused face as she wondered what was spreading, and why.

"Anywhere else?" Puck didn't say anything. "Has she stopped responding to treatments?"

"Yeah." Puck's voice was choked and upset. "She said she didn't want them anymore and says she's only go to the doctors for check-ups and prescription check ins. She said that she wanted to do this in her own way, she wanted it to _be_ in her own way, she should be able to say what she does and doesn't do with her body," he said, reaching up to wipe the back of his hand under his eye.

Eli nodded, reaching into his coat pocket. He pulled out a white envelope as well as a check book. "This is for the hospital," he said, handing him the envelope, "and this is for anything else you kids need, alright?" He scribbled stuff down on the check and handed that to him as well. Puck sniffed, taking both from his father. His dad then reached his arms out to Puck, giving him a hug, patting his back a few times. "She's gonna be okay, Noah."

Puck nodded and pulled away from his dad, placing the checks on the stairs. "Thanks, Dad," he said, sticking his hands in his back pockets.

They were both silent for a while, then Eli sighed, speaking in a much more upbeat tone. "Well, I gotta go. Natalia and Rebecca are waiting back at home for me." Puck nodded. "Bye, Noah," he said, patting his son's shoulder a few times before opening the door and walking out.

Puck stayed where he was and Rachel cautiously walked over to him, placing a hand on his arm. "Are you alright, Noah?" she whispered, looking him deeply in his hazel green eyes.

He looked at her, confused. "What the hell you talkin' 'bout, Berry," he said, putting his scene behind him, acting as if nothing was wrong. He gave her a small smile. "Come on, the pasta's probably sticking to the bottom of the pot."

He walked around her and to the kitchen. She stood where she was for a few minutes, trying to forget about what had just unfolded before her eyes. It was hard to, she felt she needed to know everything, but it was privet matters, so she let it go. When she finally snapped out of her forgetful zone and walked to the kitchen, Puck was standing by the sink straining the pot of pasta and Abbey was finishing up the garlic bread. They were laughing and singing _Down _without the music, laughing at how bad they were at singing rap. Rachel smiled at the scene, wishing she could have had a younger sibling. She probably wouldn't have gotten along with it as much as Puck and Abbey get along, but sometimes being an only child wasn't her ideal home lifestyle.

Of course, the image of perfect brother and sister was crushed and burned to the ground when Abbey took her next move. She reached up and pulled at the tie to her ballet wrap, sliding it off her arms. Rachel suddenly then knew what Puck meant when he said something was spreading. Capturing Abbegail's shoulders was a bright red rash that seemed to be inching up her neck. When Puck saw that she'd taken off her wrap, he stopped what he was doing, and froze.

"Please tell me you didn't take it off when you were in ballet class." Abbey bit her lip, looking at the floor shamefully. "Abbegail?" His voice was stern, just like a real father's would be.

"Yes, okay," she said, making an over exaggerated 'Oh, my God, I'm such a bad girl because I took off my sweater' face at him. "I took of my ballet wrap. Sue me."

"What happened to not wanting to show people?" he said, crossing his arms over is chest.

"What happened to being able to do what I want with my body in having to deal with this whole thing?" she shot back, placing her hands on her delicate hips.

"Abbey, don't use that against me. You said that you didn't want to show anyone. That even though you had to deal with this whole thing, you didn't want anyone outside of your immediate family to know that you were in this condition."

She glared at her brother, running her tongue across her teeth. "Well, people change their minds, Noah. You should know about that."

"I'm just trying to understand you, to know what you want, Abbegail!" Puck said, throwing his arms up in the air in frustration. "You said you didn't want to show anyone, and now you're baring your back and shoulders to the twenty five girls in you ballet class and now to a person you met no less than four hours ago." Puck pointed to Rachel and Abbey gave her a look of apology. "So, Abbey, what do you want?" His little sister said nothing, looking at the floor sadly. "You don't even know what you want, do you?" She shook her head slowly. "You see, that's what I don't understand about you, Abbey. You say you want one thing, but then you do another. We took you out of school because of this and now you're acting as if you want the whole freaking world to know!

"Abbegail, you should start thinking about what you really need instead of what you want before you go making fuck ass decisions!" he shouted at her, no screamed at her, making her sniffle while tears started to run down her face. As soon as Puck had said these words, and we walked toward his sister. "Shit, Abbey, I'm sorry." He tried to give her a hug, but she shoved him away, scratching his face with her long fingernail in the process. "Abbegail, you know I didn't mean it, I just-"

"Leave me alone," she wailed, shoving past him. She pattered out of the kitchen, dodging Rachel and scrambled up to her room.

They both expected her to slam her door, but she didn't. She didn't even shut it. All they heard was her sobbing into a pillow. Rachel was giving Puck a sorry look and he collapsed to the ground in anger. He sat there like a five year old with his legs out stretched and head back hunched over. "I'm such an ass," he whispered to himself, gnawing at his lip.

Rachel went to the sink and pulled a few paper towels off the roll, holding them under the running water before kneeling down and dabbing it against Puck's bleeding cut. "You're not an ass."

"Yeah, I am, Berry."

Rachel sighed, sitting on his thigh while she continued to dab his face. "You're just being protective of her and what she wants. Even if she doesn't know." She stood up and went to the bathroom, finding hydrogen peroxide and cotton balls in the cabinet above the sink. "Hold still," she said, pouring some on the swab and holding it near his face.

"Is it going to sting?"

"You're such a baby."

He glared at her. "Doesn't answer the question."

"No." She bit her lip to hide a smile.

He scooted away from her, going toward the door. "You're lying," he accused, getting to his feet. Rachel stood up as well, holding the cotton ball out to him threateningly. "Back away, Berry." She smiled, inching closer to him. He started walking backwards, his hands out to her. "No, Rachel, Rachel, stop walking. Right now."

She didn't listen. In fact, she started running toward him, trying to get it to his face. "Come on, Puckerman, don't be such a wimp," she said, laughing as he nearly slipped on the floor when he turned a corner into the entry way that had a throw rug by it. They kept running around in circles, through the living room/dining room area, into the kitchen, then the T.V. room and back to the entry way. He finally fully tripped on the rug near the entry way and Rachel dove on top of him, pressing the cotton ball hard into his cut.

"Shit!" his said, pushing her hand away. "That hurt."

"Like I said. You're a baby."

He glared at her. "I am _not _a baby."

"Then let me disinfect your cut," she said, dabbing the cotton ball on his cheek again. He winced but stayed still until she finished. "There. Now as that so terrible?"

"Yes," he mumbled out, sitting up so Rachel was straddling his legs. "You'll have to pay me back in sexual favors."

She rolled her eyes but leaned forward, pressing her lips to his gingerly. He slid his arms around her waist but she pulled away, staying on his lap. "So, what about your sister?"

"What about her?"

Rachel couldn't resist not asking anymore, so she just let it out. "What's wrong with her? I mean, what does she have?"

Puck looked down, his face falling with sadness. "She's just got this thing. Compulsive vomiting, sometimes she blacks out, but that's about it."

Rachel narrowed her eyes at him. "What about the rash on her skin?"

He smiled. "Oh, that's nothing. She's had that on her skin since she was just a baby." He lied. He knew he lied. He knew she knew he lied. At least, he thought she knew…

It seemed to settle Rachel because she smiled and stood up. "Okay." She pulled him to his feet. "Let's go."

She started bouncing up the stairs and Puck stopped, looking at her suspiciously. "Where are we going?"

"To cheer up your sister."

Puck rolled his eyes. "And how's that going to transpire?"

She stopped, turning around on the stairs. "What's the one thing all singers should live by?"

"I have no idea," he said, rubbing one eye with the back of his hand and shrugging.

Rachel smiled deviously, raising her eyebrows continuously. "Solve it in song."

"No."

"Yes."

"No."

"Yes!"

"No, Berry, I'm not doing that.

Rachel started tapping her foot on his mother's floor, giving him a cross look. "Do you want to cheer up your sister, or don't you?"

He sighed. "Well, I do but… I don't know about this…"

"Trust me, Noah. My dads used to do this all the time when I was upset. It'll work. It's proven to."

"Fine," he said, taking the outfit from her. "But I'm so going to get you back for this."

"I doubt it."

He pulled off his shirt and started to get redressed when he stopped. "I'm not doing this alone, you know."

"I know," Rachel said, going into the closet and finding another outfit for herself. "I'm going to be doing it to.."

"No, no, I mean, if I have to make a fool of myself, I'm bringing some people down with me."

Rachel stuck her head out of the closet and grinned. "Get me a phone."

Abbey was lying on her bed, sniffing and letting out shuddery sighs every other minute. She sat up slightly when she saw a skateboard roll in that had a portable C.D. player on it. The intro to _I Can't Get Next to You _started playing. As it did, Rachel strolled in wearing shorts over orange pants, a striped shirt, two different socks, and a baseball hat.

She started to dance weirdly, holding a hairbrush up to her mouth when it was time to sing. "_I can turn the gray sky bluer." _

Puck came in wearing jeans with a black Speedo over them, a green t-shirt, striped tie, beige sport jacket and a satin tie around his head. _"I can make it rain whenever I want it to." _

Matt and Mike came strolling in, wearing shorts over different colored tights, button up shirts over regular ones, mid-calf socks and weird hats. _"Oh, I can build a castle from a single grain of sand!" _they sang together.

Lastly Quinn came in sporting pajama shorts over green sweatpants, a button up shirt tied over a tank top, knee high socks and a baseball hat, like Rachel. _"I can make a ship sail on dry land." _

Rachel began singing again, dancing in front of her four backup singers. _"But my life is incomplete and I feel so blue. Cause I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I can't get next to you." _

_ "Can't get next to you, I can't get next to you!" _

Abbey laughed and climbed off her bed, dancing around with her brother and his friends, singing along with them. The five older teens joined hands and danced around Abbey, who was twisting and bounding around in the middle. _"Oh, I can fly like a bird in the sky! Hey, and I can buy anything that money can buy! I can turn a river into a raging fire! I can live forever if I so desired." _

Rachel sang alone then, pointing at Abbey as she belted out the notes. _"Unimportant are the things I can do. Cause I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I can't get next to you. Can't get next to you girl! Can't get next to you!" _

_"Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh. Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh. Chick-a-boom, chick-a-boom. Whoo!" _

In less the five seconds, Abbey found herself forgetting the whole thing.

"Thank you, guys!" Rachel shouted out the door as the three friends drove off in Quinn's car. She turned around and leaned against the door, shutting it. Rachel started at Puck as it slammed shut, making her body jolt slightly. "Noah?" she said, drawing out his name excitedly.

"What?" he said, taking the same tone.

She smiled. "We did it!" She ran over to him, jumping up and wrapping her legs around his waist as he caught her and hugged her tightly. "It was awesome and you're such a nice brother. I don't know anyone who would do something like that for their younger sibling."

Puck smiled, his face buried into her neck. "Thank you, Berry," he said quietly, holding her tighter. "Thank you." Rachel pulled away and smiled, dropping to the floor when Abbey came flouncing in, now wearing a baggy long sleeve shirt and plaid pajama shorts. "So," Puck said, running a hand over his Mohawk. "Who wants dinner?"

Abbey and Rachel both raised their hands.

**So, yeah, that's it, for now. Pancakes and raspberries, just like I promised. I hope you liked Breakfast. Usually, lunch would follow suit, but I'm liking the pancakes and raspberries. What about you? AH. So… Who wants Breakfast? :) **


	9. Die Die Die

**Chapter Nine: Die… Die… Die…**

Rachel brought in the plates and utensils, setting out three places for her, Abbegail and Puck. She folded paper towels and laid them under the forks, knifes and spoons, carefully moving each one to be in the exact same position. Puck walked in a moment later, placing the pasta, sauce and garlic bread in the center of the table. Abbey was sitting down already, waiting for the other two to sit down.

"Rachel, do you want something to drink?" Puck asked, pushing her down into a seat when she started to go into the kitchen.

She smiled. "Um, water please," she said, running a hand through her hair.

Puck nodded, walking into the kitchen. There was some clattering, the sound of a fridge opening, and Puck filled a glass with iced water. "Abbs, do you want something?" he called to his little sister.

"Do we have any more orange soda?" she called back.

"Yeah," he said, poising by the fridge. "Is there a magic word or some sort of phrase?"

Abbey smiled. "Noah, could you be the most awesome person in the world and bring me a glass of orange soda?"

"Yes, ma'am, I can be the most awesome person in the world," he said, walking into the dining room with two glasses and a bottle under his arm. He set the glasses in front of the girls and put the bottle in front of his plate. Rachel smiled when she saw it was a bottle of Vitamin Water, triple X, her favorite…

"Okay, Abbey, are you going to say grace tonight, or am I?" Abbey made a face of complete thought, then Puck reached into his pocket. "We'll flip for it." His little sister nodded. "Heads or tails."

"Heads."

Rachel watched this scene with great amusement as Puck flicked the coin up in the air, catching it in his hand and flipping it onto his palm. "Tails."

Abbey narrowed her eyes. "You're bluffing." He held his hand out to her, showing the coin. "Okay, fine, you can do it. But I _so _get to do it tomorrow."

He nodded. "Deal." Abbey and Puck laced their fingers together, bowing their heads. Rachel did the same, closing her eyes even though she wasn't quite sure what was happening. "Oh, dear Lord of Total Kickass-ness," Puck said in an ominous and praising tone, "please bless this completely awesome food that has been prepared for us tonight by Rachel Berry and myself with your badass and Godly strength…" Rachel opened her eyes to see Puck and Abbey with completely serious looks on their faces; this was obviously something they were very committed to. "And allow us to take your damn awesome Godly strength and use it to defeat the ninjas who will later in life try to steal the monkeys from our local zoo. In your righteous name we pray, amen."

They all lifted their heads and began eating. "So, Abbey, guess what I got?" Puck said, innocently taking a bite from the garlic bread.

Abbegail's eyes widened. "No…"

Puck nodded, smiling. "Oh, yes. I did." His sister nearly jumped out of her seat. "Yeah, I got it yesterday. I was going to give it to you, but then Dad called, so I forgot."

She clapped her hands together. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!" she said, bouncing in her seat.

"Wait, I'm sorry, I must be missing something here," Rachel said, dabbing the corner of her mouth with her napkin. "What's going on?"

Abbegail and Puck slowly turned their heads to look at Rachel, giving her scarily evil smiles.

* * *

Rachel watched the two siblings as they resided in the TV room, frozen in alert stances. Puck was standing on the floor, his knees slightly bent and his hands up by his face in concentration. Abbegail was the same except she was kneeling on the couch. They both had headsets on was well as holding video game controllers.

Rachel was behind the couch, her hands placed on her hips. "So, I'd take it you both like Call of Duty…"

"DIE! DIE! DIE!" Abbey screamed, slamming her thumb down on a controller button multiple times.

"Shit! Abbey, I'm out of ammo!" he screamed back as if that was going to save him in anyway.

Abbegail let out a devious laugh. "To bad for you, _SUCKER! _DIE!" Puck's half of the screen went red and his arms went limp as the menu flew up. They turned to looked at Rachel. "Did you say something?"

Rachel laughed, shaking her head. "You both really like video games?"

Puck nodded. "_Love _them," his little sister replied, smiling. "And I kick his ass in every one of them."

Puck slipped his headset of his ears, letting it hang around his neck. "That's only because you're a cheat and you're good at, like, every war game. I beat your ass at all the Wii games we have."

"Yeah, all the one's that aren't war fighters and shit like that." He glared at her. "You can beat me in, like, Mario Cart and that's it."

Puck snorted. "I whoop your ass a Zelda," he shot back. "And boxing."

Abbegail rolled her eyes. "Whatever, Puckerone, just play the damn game," she said, pressing 'Next Level' and taking her stance once again.

Puck followed suit, slipping his headset back on and getting ready to fight. "So, how often do you guys play video games?" Rachel said, amused by this whole thing. They ignored her, slamming their fingers down on random buttons, or at least they seemed random to Rachel. "Hello, guys?"

"Abbey, I am going to kick your ass."

"You say that every time."

"Yeah, but this time I am."

Rachel sighed. "You guys!"

They didn't respond. It was only after a moment did Rachel realize they couldn't hear her.

Puck and Abbegail have been playing video games for so long, they've learned how to block out everything besides the game and they communicate to each other through the headsets they wear.

"You're dying, Puck. You're running out of ammo… Again…"

"I am not."

"Puck, I can see your side of the screen. You're running out!"

They were both silent and Rachel had to plug her ears from the gunshots streaming out of the TV. Rachel reached out and tapped Puck on the shoulder. He paused the game and turned to look at her. "What's up?"

She smiled. "I, uh, I think I'm going to go, Noah. It's getting late."

He stood up straight, a sad look taking over his face. "No, Rach, stay."

Rachel shook her head. "I don't think so. You're having fun with your sister and I still need to get home to do my homework, so, I'll just leave."

Puck froze, not wanting her to leave but he didn't know what to say to make her stay. Abbey, seeing this dilemma, stepped in. "Come on, Rachel. Stay."

The brunette shook her head. "No, thank you though. I should get going." She picked up her bag and walked toward the front door, Puck scurrying after her.

She was almost to her car when Puck called out her name. "Hey, Rach!" he said, jogging over to her as she turned around. "Look, if you're leaving only because I was playing Call of Duty with my sister, than, I'm sorry," he said, stepping closer to her so her back was pinned against her car. "I'll stop playing."

She shooed her head. "No, Noah, it's fine. Don't worry about it. I probably should have leave anyway."

"I don't want you to," he spat out quickly, looking at the ground.

Rachel narrowed her eyes at him. "Noah, I don't get you," she said quietly, jingling her keys in her hand. "First, you hate me, then you get uncomfortably close to me, you kiss me after acting like such a sweetheart, you save me by threatening Jacob Ben Israel, then you don't want me to leave?" He nodded, still looking at the ground. "I'm sorry, Noah, I don't get it. People don't…"

He looked up at her. "People don't… What?" She shook her head. "Come on, Berry. People don't what?"

She looked up at him. "People don't like me. They tend to stay away from me because of my compulsive need to be right and fix everything. I don't even want to be like that, but I am."

"Why don't you, like, change or something…?"

She glared at him. "Because being like that and being hated is better than being something else and not known at all." He sighed, giving her a sorry look. "So, tell me, Noah. Why are you doing this?"

He dragged his foot around the ground. "Because, maybe, under all the crazy and compulsive shit, you're not as bad as you make out to be…"

"Is that all?" Puck nodded. "Then what was with all the kissi-"

Puck silenced her by placing his lips against hers, delicately holding her head in his hands. She had her arms crossed over her chest for only a moment before she snaked her arms up and around his neck, letting them rest loosely on his shoulders. After a moment, Puck took one of his hands and placed it on the small of her back, pulling her close to him.

They stayed as they were for a few minutes before Rachel pulled away, resting her forehead against his. "All the kissing was because I was curious," he whispered, placing a kiss on her nose.

She smiled, running her fingers across the skin on his neck continuously. "I should go now," she whispered back, pulling her whole body away and turning around, unlocking the door to her car and sliding inside. Puck shut the door for her and Rachel waved to him as she pulled out of the driveway.

Puck walked back into the house, shutting the door behind him. "So?" Abbegail said as soon as he stepped into the TV room.

"I kissed her. Again." Abbey made a face that said 'Okay, and?' "I liked it." His little sister smiled. "Abbey? Remember what you said last night about what you felt with Jeffrey?"

"Jeremy."

He shrugged. "Whatever. Anyway… I think you're right." Abbey's face lit up. "I think I love her."

* * *

"He kissed me!" Rachel squealed, holding the phone between her head and shoulder as she shuffled all her homewrok into a pile, putting it away neatly.

"He kissed you!" Kurt and Mercedes shouted from the other line. "Did he really? Again?"

Rachel laughed. "Yes, he did. I couldn't believe it. He said that I wasn't as crazy as he thought I was and that he was curious about what it was like to kiss me…"

Kurt squealed. "Okay, it's only nine o'clock. Can Mercedes and I come over...? We have to talk more. In detail."

Rachel was silent for a moment but then she smiled. "Okay, let me ask my dads," she said, walking out of her room and to the top of the stair case. "_Daddy! Dad!_" she screamed, covering the phone receiver with her hand. "Can Kurt and Mercedes come over!"

"Yes!" they called back at the same time, smiling to each other when they found that Rachel was making friends… Finally.

Rachel squealed, pressing the phone to her ear again. "They said yes," she said, jumping slightly when she heard Mercedes and Kurt scream from the other side.

"We'll be right there!" Kurt said, hanging up the phone, leaving Rachel with dial tone. She sighed, pressing 'Off' on the Berry's home phone and walking back to her room, putting it on the charger. Rachel was in her room for forty five minutes and she was afraid they weren't going to come over, but then the door bell rang and she heard her father open the door.

"Hello, Kurt, Mercedes, come on in." There was some chattering then Rachel heard him say, "She's in her room, first door on the left," then there was some thumping and Mercedes and Kurt appeared in her room with overnight bags on their shoulders.

"Sorry it took so long, Rachel," Mercedes said, dropping her bag on the floor and flopping onto Rachel's bed. "Kurt decided to take a half hour to pack all his night routine make up and stuff." She shot a glare at the boy standing in the middle of the room with his hands placed on his hips.

"Well, I'm sorry, Mercedes," he said, crossing his arms over his chest and striking a dramatic pose. "I need to stay well maintained otherwise my face goes off on a tizzy and won't calm down." The girls rolled their eyes but dropped it. "So, Rachel Berry," he said, scooching next to Mercedes on the bed. "Tell us what happened."

Rachel sighed. "Well, he was playing a video game with his sister, Abbegail, and since they weren't really acknowledging me, I said that I should go."

"Perfectly reasonable," Kurt said, nodding. "Go on."

"So, I was outside when Noah came running toward me." Mercedes and Kurt squealed. "He then apologized that they weren't really paying attention to me and I said I needed to go anyway because I had homework to do. He then, all of a sudden, spat out that he didn't want me to leave," Rachel said, feeling her cheeks get hot as Kurt and Mercedes exchanged looks of excitement. "Then I said I didn't understand why he was doing this; people don't usually like me…"

"Um, excuse me, what about us?" Kurt said, holding his hands up as if to say, 'Hello? News flash!'

Rachel gave them looks. "Oh, admit it, Kurt. If this whole Noah thing had never happened, you wouldn't be here right now, would you?"

"Okay, okay," Kurt said, defeated.

Rachel nodded, satisfied. "Anyway," she said, continuing her story. "So, then he was like, 'You're not so bad under all the crazy and compulsive shit'." Rachel used finger quotations, lowering her voice as she tried to mimic Puck. "Then he kissed me and it was amazing. It felt like a movie kiss. You know when there's romantic tension between two characters and you're just screaming at the male roll 'Just kiss her already?'" The two teens nodded. "Well, it was like that. I felt all gooey and mushy, if he hadn't been holding me up, I probably would have fallen over from how amazing it was."

"Oh, my God, you love him!" Mercedes said in an adoring voice, giggling into a pillow. Rachel nodded, biting her lip excitedly. "That's so… Awesome, Rachel. I never would have thought hot-shot Puckerman would, you know, kiss you willingly." She glared at Mercedes. "No, girl, I'm serious… Think about it. He's the school stud muffin and, no offence, you're the school Slushee target and crazed freak. As much as we love you, not even the computer nerds would have been able to calculate the day when Noah Puckerman would kiss you because he wanted to."

"It's devastatingly true," Kurt said, sighing at the end of his sentence, slightly zoning out at the truth of it all. "So, is that it then?" Rachel nodded. "Good. Get into your pajamas! We're having a kick ass slumber party!" he said, hitting her lightly in the face with a pillow.

"Ugh!" Rachel said, smiling and hitting him back. "You are such a girl," she said to him, sliding off her bed and going to her dresser, pulling out a nightdress. She went into her bathroom and changed into it, putting her day clothes into her hamper. She grabbed her hair and pulled it up into a messy bun before emerging from the bathroom.

Kurt and Mercedes' mouths fell open and they started whooping, fanning their faces with their hands. "Okay, that is seriously cute," Mercedes said, pulling on a t-shirt. Rachel gave her a surprised look. "What?"

The small brunette shrugged. "Nothing. It's just with… The way you dress at school, you'd think your pajamas were more… Stylish."

Mercedes smiled. "Well, just because I rock the hallways with my elegant ways doesn't mean I can't chill and look normal at the same time," she said, sitting down on Rachel's bed and crossing her legs. Rachel smiled, crawling onto the bed with her. Kurt was sitting at Rachel's vanity table, wiping his face with a triangle sponge. "Kurt?"

"I have to do my nightly routine or else I will never be able to control my face," he said without looking at her as he put a lilac scented pore cleanser on his face. "I'll be done in a minute."

Mercedes rolled her eyes. "I have to deal with this every time I sleep over his house. This boy is ridiculous."

Rachel nodded. "Yes, but I don't think we'll ever fully understand the meaning of 'Having flawless skin'," she said as Mercedes smiled.

"You guys _will _never understand. Rachel, this routine is more important that you doing vocal warm ups every day before you go to school and Mercedes, this is more important that you finding a knock out outfit to blow away the minds of all fashion divas around the world," he said, still not looking at them as he continued; it was as if he'd been through this a million times and knew exactly what tos ay without being faltered.

"Hey, how did you know I do vocal warm ups?"

"It's obvious." Rachel looked to Mercedes for verification, but she just shrugged. "And besides, you two don't _have _to do this. Will teenage boys, high school years are when the acne devils decide to take tolls on us. You girls have to deal with that in middle school, so, yes I have to do this every day."

Rachel and Mercedes looked at each other for a moment before bursting into laughter. "Snicker all you want, I only speak the truth," Kurt said, standing up for the vanity table and walking over to the bed. He surprised Rachel when she saw that he too was wearing low key pajamas; a pair of gray sweatpants and a plain white t-shirt.

"Anyway," Rachel said, pushing loose strands of hair out of her face… "What are we going to do now. I've told you everything that happened between me and Noah…"

Mercedes shrugged and Kurt smiled. "Rachel… Truth or Dare?"

**Review please! :) **


	10. Soy Un Perdedor

**Possibly the last chapter before I go off to camp on Sunday. I'll miss you all SO much! But I hope you'll be able to last the busy summer I have! Informational chapter coming up after this… Love you all!**

**P.S. BY THE WAY… I'll be using songs they already used in Glee, so don't be like HEY THEY ALREADY USED THESE! Don't worry, I already know. I just feel that some were fit for this chapter… :) Sue me… **

**For Average Everyday Sane Psycho… :) Love ya hun! **

Chapter Ten: Soy Un Perdedor…

When Rachel woke up the next morning, she stretched, yawned and laughed at Mercedes and Kurt who were tangled up in the sheets next to her. How they had all managed to sleep comfortably on her full sized bed was beyond her, so she just let it slide and slipped out from between her two friends.

She instantly winced as the cool air hit her legs and sucked in a sharp breath, running to close her window. "I hate October…" she mumbled, scurrying to take a hot shower. After turning the shower nozzle on, she slipped out of her nightgown and jumped into the tub, closing her eyes when the scorching water touched her skin, making it tingle.

Rachel leaned against the tile wall, smiling as she thought of Noah. "Hm," she said quickly to herself, washing her body and hair while humming the tune to Journey's _Faithfully. _

_Highway run  
Into the midnight sun  
Wheels go round and round  
You're on my mind  
_

_Restless hearts  
Sleep alone tonight  
Sending all my love  
Along the wire  
_

Rachel grabbed the bottle of conditioner she had, squirting a sufficient amount into her hand before slapping it onto her head. She grabbed her comb from the window sill next to her shower and yanked it through her hair, brushing the conditioner into it.

_They say that the road  
Ain't no place to start a family  
Right down the line  
It's been you and me  
And lovin' a music man  
Ain't always what it's supposed to be  
Oh, girl, you stand by me  
I'm forever yours  
Faithfully_

The hot water beat down on her head as she rinsed out the conditioner, running her fingers through her hair quickly before closing her eyes and leaning against the wall again.

_Whooa, oh-oh-ooh  
Whooa, oh-oh-ooh, oh  
Whooa, oh-oh-oh, oh-whoooooa-oh  
Faithfully  
I'm still yours_

I'm forever yours  
Ever yours  
Faithfully

Rachel shut off the water and grabbed her towel, wrapping it around her body before sliding the door to her shower open. She screamed at the top of her lungs when she saw Kurt and Mercedes standing in the doorway, their arms crossed over the chests while they both gave her a sleepy looks.

"What was that?" Kurt said, his voice hoarse from sleep.

Rachel's cheeks flushed and she looked down at the floor. "What, Kurt, you never sing in the shower?" she said, stepping out of the tub. He shook his head. Rachel laughed. "You need to live a little."

His mouth dropped to the floor. "What? I so live a little, Rachel Berry. In fact, I live a lot. Have you seen me when I walk into the mall?"

"It's like all hell breaks loose," Mercedes said, running a hand over her face tiredly. "When he walked into an Armani store it's like there's a tornado flying around, dropping clothes into my arms and weighing my down."

Rachel laughed. "Okay, well, let's get ready for school. We're going to be late."

* * *

Puck's eyes flew open when he heard the front door shut. He looked at his clock. It was 6:15, just around the time his mother would leave for her job at the hospital. He groaned, rolling back over and pressing his face into his pillow.

His alarm clock started blaring some random song on the radio and he frowned.

"Buh," he said to himself, punching the wall once before getting up. He rubbed his eyes a few times before slipping his wayfarer eyeglasses on and standing in the middle of his room for a moment. From outside, he could hear a bird chirping. Chirping like fucking crazy. He could hear it and the window was shut. Yes, shut. He stood there for a moment, just standing there, before storming over to his window, throwing it open and sticking his head out into the crisp autumn air.

"Shut the fuck up, you stupid, little bird!" he shouted. "Shut the fuck! Up!"

It did.

He nodded, shut his window and strolled out of his room causally, as if he hadn't just yelled at a bird. The hall was dark from the lack of sun—trees surrounding the house made it a little more bearable to wake up in the morning—and he wandered down the stairs to the kitchen.

Puck flicked on the light, sighing as he grabbed a bowl and a spoon. A cereal box rested on the island. He didn't particularly care for the cereal brand but he shrugged, pouring some into his bowl before adding milk and digging his spoon in. He leaned against the refrigerator for a moment before shoving himself forward with his shoulder blades.

There was a note on the counter, a message scribbled in his mother's messy handwriting.

_Noah and Abbey, _

_Mr. Richards, the social worker, is coming to check up on you and Abbey about how things have been and he's coming this afternoon at twelve sharp. Clean the house. PLEASE. We don't need him accusing us of everything. Please be respectful and mature. There's a box of earl grey tea in the cabinet, make it before he comes. He won't be nice to you if you don't. Noah, I already told Principal Figgins you wouldn't be attending school today, but call in anyway. _

_Love you both_

_Mom_

He rolled his eyes, finished his cereal and tossed the bowl into the sink, clambering back up the stairs to his sister's room. "Abbey, you have to get up," he said, shaking her back lightly.

"No," she moaned, swatting at him with her arm before rolling over.

He shook her again. "Wake up, Abbs. You seriously need to get up." She shook her head lazily. "Come on, shit head. Mom said Mr. Richards was coming and we need to clean the house. The _whole _house. It's a freaking mess…"

His sister rolled over, giving him a wide eyes look. "Excuse me, what?" she said quickly, sitting up. "Mr. Richards is coming?" He nodded his head slowly. "Dammit!" she shrieked, slapping her face with her hands.

"What's your problem?"

"He's mean."

Puck smiled, sitting down on the bed next to his sister. "Yeah, trust me, I know." He wrapped his arm around her shoulders, giving her a sideways hug. "But, we have to. He said to me last month, and I quote, 'I know you don't care for these visits, and neither does your sister, but if this is how it's going to work then I need to check up on you guys every month," he said, lowering his voice into a stupid and sarcastic business like tone.

She groaned again, resting her head on his shoulder. "And besides, we know the drill. We just have to clean the house and then answer his freaking questions before he'll leave. For a whole month."

She smiled at that. "Okay, fine!" she said, dragging out her words before pushing back her covers and crawling out of bed. Her tank top had ridden up around the middle of her stomach and Puck couldn't help but notice the bruise looking red rash that captured the small of her back. He was about to say something, but he pressed his lips together, silencing himself.

"So, what do we have to do?" she asked, turning around and crossing her arms over her chest. "Just clean the house and make him his stupid tea?" Puck nodded, standing up and running his hand over his Mohawk a few times. Abbey groaned. "Fine. Let's go…"

* * *

At 10:30, they'd gotten the second floor of the house clean and now it was time for the first floor, the dreaded floor, the hell raising floor. As they were going down the stairs, the phone started to ring, that old fashioned bell phone sound their kitchen phone gave off.

"Don't move," Puck said, holding his arm out and blocking his sister from continuing down the stairs.

She rolled her eyes. "Oh, come on, Puck, it's not like the phone is going to attack us," she said, ducking under his arms and skipping off to the kitchen. "Hello?"

Puck heard someone jabbering to her on the other line as she read the letter their mom left for them. "Oh, no, Ms. Phelps, I already called Principal Figgins yesterday, I believe." Puck laughed at how amazing she was at mimicking their mother's voice. "No, no, don't worry about it. Noah is fine, neither of them are sick… Oh, well I was just about to head off to work when you called…" Abbey laughed in that adult gossiping way. "Okay, thank you for checking in, Ms. Phelps… Okay, you too… M'bye-bye."

She placed the phone back on the wall, twirling the long chord around on her finger. Puck crossed his arms over his chest. "That was very impressive," he said, giving his little sister an approving nod. "Well done."

Abbey smiled at him. "I do the best I can," she said skipping off to the living room. "A little music," she said, turning on the big black stereo their mother had before she started picking things up.

Puck froze, smiling. "I've taught you well, young grasshopper," he said, walking to the closet and pulling out the vacuum.

They both bopped around the first floor, Puck moving the vacuum to the beat of 3OH!3's _Don't Trust Me_ and moving his shoulders up and down with the words while Abbey shook her hips subtly as she sprayed and wiped down the windows with Windex. As the first floor became more and more clean, their theatrical singing became more and more extreme. By the last song on the mix C.D., _Loser _by Beck, they were both close to going up stairs and changing into weird outfits just to match the singing.

_Soy un perdedor _

_I'm a loser baby_

_So why don't you kill me? _

_Soy un perdedor_

_I'm a loser baby_

_So why don't you kill me _

Abbey flopped down onto the couch so her feet were hanging over the back and her head was hanging off of the seat.

_Forces of evil on a bozo nightmare,  
Ban all the music with a phony gas chamber  
Cause one's got a weasel and others got a flag,  
One's on the pole, shove the other in the bag,  
_

She flipped off the side and walked into the TV room where Puck was vacuuming. He froze, striking a rock star pose, singing into the vacuum wand like it was a microphone stand.

_With the rerun shows and cocaine nose job,  
The daytime crap of the folk singers slop,  
He hung himself with a guitar string,  
A slab of turkey neck and it's hangin' from a pigeon wing,  
_

_I can't write if ya' can't relate,  
Trade the cash for the beef for the body for the hate,  
And my time is a piece of wax, fallen on a termite,  
Who's chokin' on the splinters_

They banged their foreheads together, staring at each other with forced angry looks.

_Soy un perdedor_

_I'm a loser baby_

_So why don't you kill me? _

_Soy un perdedor_

_I'm a loser baby_

_So why don't you kill me? _

They both laughed, giving each other giant smiled before Puck leaned forwards. "I have something to tell you." She leaned in closer, turning her ear to him. "I'm a driver, I'm a winner."

"Things are going to change I can feel it," Abbegail said, finishing the song for him.

_Soy un perdedor_

_I'm a loser baby_

_So why don't you kill me? _

_Soy un perdedor _

_I'm a loser baby_

_So why don't you kill me? _

At that moment, there was a knock on the door and Puck yanked the chord out of the plug, shoving the vacuum into the closet before straightening his shirt. "Mr. Richards," he said cheerfully as he opened the door.

"Noah," the man said, stepping into the house without being invited in. "Hello, Abbegail."

She gave him a small nod. "Mr. Richards." She glared at him when he turned his back to her and Puck laughed once, turning his face away. "Is there anything I can get you to drink?"

"Earl grey tea," he said without looking at her. She stuck her tongue out at him but sauntered off to the kitchen, yanking a tea cup from their china cabinet and pouring the tea into it. After placing it on a saucer, she carefully brought it into the dining room area, where her brother and Mr. Richards were not sitting. "Thank you, Abbegail."

Abbey walked to the end of the table, sitting down next to her brother. "So," Puck said, taking her hand under the table. "Can we do this quickly? I have to get to school after this." Abbey was about to protest, but he squeezed her hand so hard, he cracked her knuckles.

Mr. Richards nodded. "Okay, we'll start. I'm sure you two know these questions by heart now." Puck and Abbey nodded, smiling. "So, first, how do you two get along lately?"

"We love each other very much and we do have moments where we fight, we yell, say things we don't mean, but afterwards when we've both cooled off, we sit down and talk about it," Puck said, lacing his fingers together and resting his elbows on the table.

"Abbey, can you confirm that?"

She nodded. "Yeah… Just yesterday, Noah and I had a fight about my- About my… condition," she said, catching herself, "and after I'd stormed off to my room, he had a few of his friends come over and they were over all really weird, but they cheered my up right away." Mr. Richards nodded. "So, yes, I can confirm that."

"Okay…" he said, scribbling something down on his clipboard. "And Abbey, on a scale from one to ten, how would you rank Noah as a legal guardian?"

She looked at the floor. "An eight and a half." Puck smiled.

"Why?"

Abbey let out a sigh and looked to her brother, who nodded once. "Because, Noah's really supportive of what I do and even though we have fights occasionally, he's just really mature and takes care of me just like a father would." More scribbling and nodding. "Plus, he buys me video games, so…"

Mr. Richards smiled. "That's good." Abbey nodded, twisting her ring around her middle finger. "And Noah, on a scale of one to ten, how would you rank Abbey as someone you look after in a legal sense?"

"She's a great sister… I love her a lot, and even though she's a freaking pain in my ass, I do the best I can to help her and stuff…"

"An example of that please?"

He looked around for something to support his thesis with. "Um, well, I have a piece of paper tacked to the wall next to the medicine cabinet that have all her medications, take times, emergency allergy stuff and where I put it, everything. All the things she can't eat, things she shouldn't eat and a list of junk foods she'll die with if she gets caught eating them," he said, taking her hand again. "So, I would rank her a nine, maybe eight and three fourths."

"Good… Good… And, how are you guys managing without your mother and father around to take care of you all the time?"

Abbey swallowed, allowing Puck to take this one. "Well, my mom is here sometimes, but she's usually at work, so we hardly see her, but my dad does help out. He took Abbey home from ballet last night and he helps with her hospital bills and those things. We manage pretty well I'd say…"

* * *

A half hour later, Mr. Richards was packing up his clip board in a brief case and he was looking at the siblings who had bored, slightly sad looks on their faces. "Noah, Abbegail, can I ask you both something that'll be off the record?" he said, sitting back down at the table. They both nodded, looking at the floor. "How do you two feel about me checking up on you like this every month?"

Both siblings looked up, their eyes surprised. "Um, I'm not sure what you mean..." Puck said, clearly knowing.

"How do you feel about me checking up on you? Clearly, you're not thrilled about me coming here, but you know it's necessary..."

Puck sighed. "We just both feel that we don't need someone checking in, asking us how we're doing, how we're getting by. Whether or not we have problems is our business and we shouldn't have to tell people how we get along with each other." Mr, Richards nodded, resting his elbows on the counter. "And our answers are the same each time; 'We get along fine, I'm taking care of her, Abbey's helping out when she can and we're dealing with her health problems. We shouldn't have to tell anyone how we're doing," he said, feeling Abbey reach her hand over and squeeze his fingers.

Mr. Richards nodded again. "Well, Noah, I completely understand where you're coming from, but you do realize that if we don't check up on you, you can't be Abbey's legal guardian and then they'll probably have her live with your father, right? Then you won't be able to see her as often, so you do see how critically important this is?" Puck nodded, pulling his sister's chair closer him and he wrapped his arm around her back. "So, even though both of you don't like having to answer these questions over and over again, it's vital so that you two don't get seperated..."

Abbey's eyes filled with tears and she sniffed, taking the tissue Mr. Richards was holding out to her. "Do you both understand know?"

Puck and Abbey nodded again and they all stood up, walking to the front door. "Well, I'll see you both next month," he said, holding his hand out to Puck, who shook it. "See you soon."

The two of then watched as Mr. Richards climbed into his little car and drive away before Abbey flopped down onto the couch. "So…" she said, looking at him.

"So…" he said back. "Do you wanna go out to lunch?"

Abbey smiled and laughed.

**The end of that chapter. It was more of a brother sister relationship in this one, but it's important I think, to have a strong relationship with your siblings. Please review! **


	11. Not A Date

**So, as you can see… I'M BACK! Lately, I've been typing up ALL THE STUFF I WROTE AT CAMP! It's a lot. But, I hope you like it… **

Chapter Eleven: Not a Date

For the past hour and a half, Rachel had been checking her cell phone every other minute. Ever since second period, when she didn't see Puck in Spanish class, she'd been wondering where he was.

School was over now and she was sitting in her room, kicking her feet back and forth. Rachel couldn't stand it. She hadn't contacted him, of course, hadn't left a message saying 'Call me' or 'Text me' or _something, _but she still wanted him to call and say why he hadn't been in school all day.

_Not that I care, _she thought to herself, as if saying that would make her worrying cease…

It didn't.

So finally, Rachel picked up her phone one last time, going to her contacts and selecting Puck's number.

**Noah, call me when you can. –Rachel Berry**

Just as Puck was stepping out the front door to wash his car, he heard a beep coming from his pocket as he got a text. He pulled it out, smirking at the name on the front screen, _Berry. _Puck flipped up the screen and read the text, smirking again. He dialed her number, not that he knew it by heart on purpose, and waited for her to pick up.

He didn't have to wait long though, for Rachel answered it on the second ring. "Noah?" she said in a desperate voice that made him chuckle.

"S'up, Berry?" he asked in an amused voice.

She was silent for a minute. "Where… Where were you today?" Her voice was quiet, almost embarrassed and concerned.

His amusement turned into seriousness. "Were you worried?" He bit his lip.

Rachel sighed. "…Well, yeah, a little…" He raised his eyebrows in surprise and it was almost like she knew this because she quickly backed that up with a "It's just because I know you and your sister kind of live without your parents around, and I thought something happened to you."

_Lies, _Puck thought to himself, switching his cell phone to the other ear. "I see…"

Rachel 'Mm-hmm'ed. "And not only that, but I realized _today _that the glee duets were supposed to be finished _today _and we haven't practiced at all. Three groups have already gone and even though they weren't perfect or even close to well rehearsed, they were still done and it was awful. I felt so out of place and, Noah!" she whined.

Puck swore he heard her stomp her foot over the phone. "Chillax, Rach. It's not a big deal… Who went?"

"Um, Matt and Mercedes sang _The Time of My Life, _from the original Dirty Dancing. It was cute. Then Finn and Mike sang _She's a Lady _and you could totally see them singing to Quinn and Brittney and afterwards, Brittney and Santana sang _Girls Just Wanna Have Fun._"

Puck nodded. "Not bad." She sighed. "Don't worry, Berry. We'll practice. Tonight if it's so important to you…"

"Really?" she said curiously.

Puck stepped back into his house and shut the door. "Yeah, why not. I don't have anything to do tonight since I missed school. Plus they probably didn't give homework anyway since they're doing a long weekend for Halloween and shit…" Rachel was silent. "So… Would you like to do that?"

Rachel let out a small giggle; an actual giggle, one that you would place as flirty, possibly seductive if you made it a few notes lower. "Sure," she said, delighted. "Why don't you come over at seven thirty. You can stay for dinner."

He smiled. "Alright." He tried to hide his excitement. "See you then."

"Right. Bye, Noah."

Then the line went dead. Puck turned around and jumped a foot in the air when he saw his sister standing behind him with her arms crossed over her chest. "Who was that?" she said in a smug voice, _clearly _knowing it was Rachel. "Was it Rachel?"

His narrowed his eyes at her. "…Yes…" His voice was unsure for some reason, like he couldn't trust her.

She smiled. "Excellent. You're going over there for dinner?" He nodded dumbly. "I see… Come with me," she said, grabbing the sleeve to his shirt and pulling him up the stairs.

"Where are we going…?"

She stopped halfway up the stairs. "To your room dumb ass…"

Abbegail continued up the stairs and to his room, where she placed him in front of the mirror before searching through his closet. "So, I don't wanna go to her house dressed like this…" He heard her squeal from the closet. "…What the hell is your problem?" his said in a sarcastic tone.

She stuck her head out from the closet. "You're so, like, into this."

"Excuse me?"

"Look, Noah, I understand that you like this girl, but you've never acted like this before! When you were dating Santana, you never worried about what you wore or what you looked like because you always thought you would always look studly, but now, when Rachel Berry the very high maintenance girl, comes along, you're all of a sudden freaking out about your clothes!" she said, tossing him a pair of dark wash jeans. "Put those on…"

He did. "Well, I'm not freaking out about my clothes, I just feel like I should be more presentable around her…"

"Do you feel like you need to live up to her standards for her to like you?"

Puck didn't answer right away and after a few minutes, Abbegail walked out of the closet carrying multiple button down shirts on hangers. "Well, I wouldn't call it living up to standards…" He thought for a minute. "Maybe just stepping over the stud line a little bit and advancing up to meeting presentable expectations."

His little sister smiled, then got a serious look on her face. "Why aren't you like this at school?" she asked, sitting down on the bed and crossing her legs at the knees.

Puck's brow furrowed in confusion. "What exactly do you mean?"

He sat down next to her as she sighed. "Well, I mean… I've seen how you are with your friends and girlfriends. You care more about what they think of you and you act all, well, asshole-y. But then, when I compare it to the way you act around me, and now Rachel too, you seem more down to earth and it's like you care more." He let out a long sigh. "Why is that?"

"I guess… I mean, I can see what you're saying, but people are always different around their friends then they are around their family."

Abbey looked at him with wide eyes. "No, I don't mean like that, I mean it's like, _really _different. One minute, you'll be drinking a beer with some of your friends and the next, you'll be singing into a vacuum wand and rocking out to Beck with me while we clean the house… When you were with Santana, you literally used her for _just _sex. Now you're around Rachel and are treating her like she's an angel or something… Do you get what I'm saying?"

Puck nodded. "Yeah, Abbs, I get it." She sat back, waiting for him to go on. "It's just, like, you have to protect yourself at school and around friends. Home is where it counts. If I were acting the way I do at home while in school, I'd be with Fro Boy and his Jew Crew being tossed in the Dumpsters three times a day." She nodded slowly. "I'm not saying I don't like being the loveable brother I am, cause honestly, it kicks ass, but I think it's awesome to have a different personality, one I would probably have all the time if I didn't have a little sister to take care of."

Abbegail's eyes fell and she looked at her feet sadly. "Oh, shit, Abbey. I didn't mean it like that. You know I didn't."

She laughed once then flashed him a crooked smile. "Yeah…" She kissed his cheek. "I know." Abbey quickly shook it off and stood up, leading him back to the mirror. She handed him the same black button down shirt he wore at brunch. "Here, put this on," she said, quickly shaking off his comment. "We need you to look… presentable."

Puck smirked at her but she smiled, going to his closet to grab a pair of sneakers. "And these… These are perfect."

He held them up to his face. "Abbey, these are Vans _skateboarding _sneakers," he said in a bland voice. She nodded excitedly. "Are you sure?" Again, she nodded. "Alright, you know what you're talking about."

She planted her hands on her hips. "Yes, I do know what I'm talking about, Noah Puckerman. Unlike you, I have fashions sense, even when it comes to dressing a guy." He looked up at her through his eyelashes. "I do. Now put them on."

He did, slipping his feet into them easily. "Okay," he said, standing up and holding his arms out so she could survey how he looks. "What do you think?"

Abbey cracked a smile. "I think you look presentable."

Rachel once again had the home phone clenched between her ear and shoulder while she bustled around, setting up for dinner. "No, I'm telling you, he literally _offered _to come over and practice for the duet…"

The girl on the other end of the line gasped. "No way, girl, he did not!" she shouted in a completely astonished voice.

Rachel nodded, standing up straight. "He did; not kidding. It was so amazing 'Cedes."

There was some rustling on the line before she responded. "What are you wearing?"

"Oh, gosh… I didn't really think about it. It's not like we're going on a date." She heard Mercedes scoff. "We're not!"

Silence on the other line. Then… "Look, Rachel, we all know that for a million years you're had a _massive _crush on Finn. Anyone could see that, but things are different now. Noah 'The Stud' Puckerman is coming to your house for dinner." Rachel smiled, feeling her cheeks get hot even though there was no one around. "Big changes, girl. You've practically got him in the palm of your hand."

Rachel rolled her eyes. "He's not in the _palm _of my hand. Maybe on the tips of my fingers."

Mercedes 'Mm-hmm'ed. "So… You know that little red dress in your closet? Wear it. And wear a pair of strappy sandals, they'll work with it… Leave your hair down, but maybe curl it with an iron. Make-up, leave it as natural as possible without wearing no makeup at all…"

Rachel nodded, placing forks next to the plates. She looked at the clock on the wall. "'Cedes, you know I love you, but it's almost six forty-five. I have to get ready."

Mercedes laughed. "Alright, I'll let you go, but call me and tell me what happens after he leaves, okay?" Rachel 'Mm'ed, her mind wandering slightly. "Rachel?" Mercedes said in a warning tone.

"Okay!" Rachel said, laughing. "I'll call you, I promise. But I have to go… Bye."

She sighed. "Alright, bye."

When Puck arrived at Rachel's house—with his guitar and flowers that his pain-in-the-ass sister _made _him bring, well sort of made—he noticed multiple things wrong with what he was looking at from his view on Rachel's walkway.

Number one… The only car in the drive was Rachel teeny little Yaris.

Number two… The only lights that were on were the dining room and living room lights. He may have only been to her house once before in eighth grade for a project, but he remembered that house forwards and backwards. Only the living room and dining room and even then they were pretty dim.

Number three… When Puck walked up to her door and rang the bell, there wasn't shouting about opening the door or scrambling and squealing. Only the sound of footsteps.

But everything that Puck noticed seemed to be completely wonderful when Rachel opened the door and he saw what she was wearing. She had on a red dress; halter top with a tight middle and a flowing skirt. Her hair was down like it normally was, but had been curled to make tight ringlets that stopped at her shoulders instead of ending right below her bust; something in which Puck totally _accidentally _noticed. When he stepped in, he thought she was wearing no make-up at all, but as he took a closer look, he saw mascara and faint lip gloss.

_I bet it tastes like watermelon, _he thought to himself, smirking. _Note to self: Find out Rachel's lip gloss flavor. _

"Hey," she said quietly, shutting the door behind him.

"Hi," he said back in a gruff voice, adjusting the strap of his guitar over his shoulder. "Um, these are for you."

He held out the bouquet of white calla lilies and light pink roses. "Oh, Noah, thank you," she said, surprised as she took it in both hands, the plastic wrap crinkling under her fingers.

Puck shrugged. "They're stupid. And cheesy."

Rachel smiled into the flowers as she took in their gorgeous smell. "Mm. No, they're beautiful." Puck's cheeks felt like they lit up in flames. "That was very sweet of you." He shrugged again, giving her a soft smile. "Thank you, again."

"I do my best."

She laughed. "Well, I love your best." Out of nowhere, she stepped forward, embracing him in a hug. Rachel made a mental note that he smelled like Old Spice _Swagger. _Puck made a mental note that she smelled like orchid body spray. After a moment, she pulled away, mumbling a quiet 'Sorry.'

They both smiled. "So…" he said awkwardly, putting his guitar against the piano bench. "Are the parentals here?"

She shook her head. "Nope. They're in Dayton for the weekend. My aunt's birthday is tomorrow."

"Ah." He rocked back and forth on the balls of his feet. "So, do you, like, wanna practice now, or are you going to feed me first?"

Her eyes dropped as he said this but she smiled. "I didn't get a chance to finish cooking, so unless you don't want to eat at all, we could practice in the kitchen." He nodded surely, picking up his guitar. "So, I was making stir fry, minus the meat since I'm a vegetarian… I hope that's okay…"

_Be smooth, Puckerman, be smooth. _"Yeah, that's good. My mom makes stir fry all the time. She says it helps you get centered." He put his hands in prayer position and did a karate bow.

Rachel raised an eyebrow at him? "Um… 'Helps you get centered'?"

Puck nodded enthusiastically. "Yes ma'am. Even though we're a very meat oriented family—we're _very _Jewish—" Rachel smiled "—We do tend to have vegetarian meals every once and a while, to help us connect with our inner zen."

Her mouth fell open. "You _must _be joking," she said, pushing the vegetables around the pan with a wooden spoon.

He pointed to his face. "Does it look like I'm joking?" He flashed her a giant grin that made her laugh. "Okay, okay, okay… So maybe it doesn't help us get centered, but we do have vegetarian meals, like, once a week. We've already had our vegetarian meal, but I suppose I can sacrifice another. Just for you Rachel, just for you." Her cheeks flushed a brilliant shade of red and it made him smile.

_Just for you, _he thought before watching her turn back to the stove as he sat down on a kitchen chair, strumming on his guitar. _Just… For… You… _

**That's all for now, I'll update… Later. Byeee! **

**REVIEW! **

**And for those who were confused about who Mr. Richards was in chapter ten, I fixed it. Go look! **


	12. WhatsHisName

**Twelve chapters, tens of reviews, thousands of subscribers, you guys rock. A little bit of yelling in this chapter, more brother/love. Enjoy! **

Chapter Twelve: What's-his-name

Rachel and Puck were sitting in her living room after dinner. She had her legs tucked under her while one of his arms rested on the back of the couch, toying lightly with the ends of her hair. "Okay, seriously, Berry. You expect me to believe that you won the 'Most Experienced Voice' award in your concert thing when you were one year old by singing Chain of Fools by Aretha Franklin?" he said, raising an eyebrow at her. She nodded rapidly. "No way." Suddenly, Pucks phone rang. He pulled it out of his pocket and looked at the caller I.D., cursing his little sister when he saw _Home _flashing on the screen.

"One second." Rachel nodded and he pressed the little green phone button. "Yeah? Abbey? Everything okay?"

Puck heard some shuffling. "Yeah, everything's fine; I just need to ask you a question." Puck was silent as he waited for her to continue. "Would it be at all possible for Jeremy to come over to hang out?"

He bit his lip, a crease forming between his eyebrows. "Eh… I don't think I'm okay with that, Abbs. Not with the two of you alone in the house together…" He heard her whine. "Come on, Abbey. You know I trust you, but I'm not okay with you two being alone without someone older than you there…"

"What if we called in every hour or so?" He didn't respond. "Please?"

"Not tonight, Abbegail. When you turn fourteen, then maybe he can go over while someone's not there, but not while you're only thirteen." She tsked her tongue once and he knew she had rolled her eyes. "Hey, come on don't give me that. Those are my rules, Abbey. I trust you—you know that—but I think you're both a little too young to be alone in a house," he said, closing his eyes and running his hand over his Mohawk in slight aggravation.

Abbegail sighed. "Okay, fine." Puck smiled. "I'll see you later."

He nodded firmly. "Call me if you have any problems."

"I will. Bye."

He could hear her pull the phone away from her ear. "Wait, wait, wait! Abbey?" She made a noise, slightly distracted. "I love you."

"I love you, too, Noah."

Then they both hung up. "So," Puck said, resting his arm on the back of the couch again. "Where were we?"

"You didn't believe that I got a trophy for having the 'Most Experienced Voice'."

He snorted, instantly jumping back into the conversation. "That's because babies can't talk when they're one year old. They can't even talk when they're a year and a half. This stuff starts developing when they're, like, two. Trust me." Rachel arched an eyebrow at him. "I've been around tiny kids for a while. My mom's a pediatrician; I know a few things. And it is humanly impossible for a baby to be speaking, let alone belting out Aretha Franklin, when they're one year old."

She smiled. "I'm not lying, Noah." She rose from the couch, holding her hand out to him. "Follow me."

Puck willingly slid his hand into Rachel's, smiling for a moment before she yanked him down the hall and to what appeared, from the outside, to be a den. He was mistaken. When she opened the hard wood door, all Puck saw was gold. Gold and labels and marble stands. His eyes took in everything and everything was, well, a bit overwhelming… He had to take a step back to see everything. "Damn, Rachel, how many are in here?"

"One hundred and seventy four," she said proudly, looking up at him with shining eyes. "And that's just in this room. There a hundreds more in the basement and the attic and at our ski cabin in New Hampshire and-"

He held his hand up to her. "Okay, I get it." She flashed him a smile. "You like to sing… I understand that you have amazing skill…"

She nodded rapidly. "Yes. And, did you know that the trophy for singing Chain of Fools when I was one isn't even the oldest award I've gotten. The oldest _ever _would probably be when I was eight months old and I sang Borderline by Madonna. But when I sang that, I remember my fathers telling me after wards that there was one moment where I was flat and I wasn't being as loud as I could have been, so that's why the Chain of Fools award is the one I'm most proud of. Because it was the one I did my best with when I was really young and-"

"Is there any way to get you to shut up?" Puck asked, raising his eyebrows slightly at her.

A small smile formed on Rachel's face and after a moment, Puck realized what she was thinking and smirked. He reached his hand up to her face, letting his fingers trail down her cheek and to her jaw line where he left them rest before softly pushing her hair over her shoulder, revealing the skin on her neck. His fingers dances lightly on her collar bone, making her take in a deep breath, calming herself. It was like he knew exactly how to tease her without actually teasing her, playing games with her. Rachel felt her lips go dry as he slowly bent down, wrapping his arms around her small waist and looking at her in the eyes. Puck laced his fingers together, holding Rachel close to him before ducking his head down and pressing his lips to hers. He smiled into the kiss, feeling her go up on her toes to deepen it as her arms slid around him to rest on the nape of his neck. Within moments, Puck had lifted Rachel off the floor, her body pressed against his completely.

Puck's guitar was strapped over his shoulder once more and he and Rachel were standing in the doorway to her house. She was absentmindedly chewing on her lip and Puck was watching her, his eyes never leaving hers. "So…" he said, rubbing his hand up and down his arm. "Th- Thanks for dinner, Rach." She smiled, her eyes lighting up. "It was really good."

"Well, you're welcome, Noah. I'm glad you enjoyed it."

He nodded a few times. "We should make a habit of this… Cooking for each other? It's happened twice already."

Rachel smiled and giggled once. "Oh, definitely. I'll give you a call on Thanksgiving. I'm sure our parents wouldn't mind not cooking." Puck sighed, smiling. _Smiling? What is wrong with me…? _He thought, shaking his head quickly to clear it. "I just wanted to say that this was a really big deal me, Noah. It really means a lot that you were willing to give up your evening and everything. For me," she said in a sweetly quiet voice, looking at him through her long eyelashes. He looked down at her, biting the insides of his cheeks to keep form talking. "I mean, I'm sure there are other things you could have been doing… You were going to wash your car or something, even though it's so cold outside and, let's face it, no one really wants to rehearse with me because I'm very demanding and I when it comes to singing, everything needs to be perfect. You can't be slacking and you have to be singing your best otherwise, there really is no point in singing at all, so when you are willing to sing with me, it really shows determination, so, I just wanted to say-"

Puck leaned down and kissed her quickly, laughing when she instantly silenced. "You're welcome, Berry." Rachel ran her hand up his arm and to his cheek, stroking her thumb across his cheek bone. He turned his face and kissed her palm, smiling into her hand. "I should probably go. Abbey's home alone… It's really late." She looked over her shoulder at the clock on the mantel. "Twelve thirty." A soft expression took over her face and she looked back to Puck. "So… I'll see you tomorrow," he said, smiling at her before bending down to kiss her cheek. He reached for the door knob.

Rachel's forehead creased. "Wait, Noah. We don't have school tomorrow…"

He turned and smirked at her. "Yeah… I know."

Then Puck got into his Jeep and drove off into the dark. As soon as he was out of her driveway, he pushed a CD into his radio, hitting his fingers against the top of the steering wheel in time with the beat. He bobbed his head with the words, smiling as he sang.

_Well, the night's begun and you want some fun  
Do you think you're gonna find it, think you're gonna find it  
You got to treat yourself like number one  
Do you need to be reminded, need to be reminded  
_

_It doesn't matter what you do or say  
Just forget the things that you've been told  
We can't do it any other way  
Everybody's got to rock and roll, oh, oh, oh, ooh_

Puck found his mind wandering to Rachel—to her deep chocolate eyes, her soft skin, perfect lips, smile, everything. The way she lit up when talking about singing or just singing out loud, how she threw her head back when she laughed. He noticed that every time he told her something he'd never told anyone, she'd get a small smile on her face, as if she were burying it down deep inside of her mind, keeping safe and treasured.

Twenty minutes later, when he pulled into his driveway, she was still on his mind. He hopped out of his Jeep, pulling his guitar out of the back seat and walked up the front steps, humming to himself and fumbling for the right key as he attempted to open the door with one hand. All the down stairs lights were off, all but one to the back room where Abbey did her reading. It was a small room, with a mattress taking up most of the space while the walls were lines with shelves that ran all the way up to the ceiling. Puck set his guitar down and wandered over to the door which she had closed. He knocked on the panel as he pushed the handle down, opening the door.

He regretted doing so instantly.

When the door opened, he saw Abbey lying on the mattress, pressed into the pillows. Her shirt was pushed up to under her bust and on top of her, with an unbuttoned shirt, was Jeremy.

"Whoa! Whoa!" he shouted, holding one hand over his eyes and the other to them, palm facing out as he attempted to block their bodies from his vision, backing away slightly. Abbey let out a high pitched scream and pushed Jeremy off her. She sat up and yanked her shirt down. "Cover yourselves!" Jeremy started buttoning his shirt, his pale cheeks flushed the color of wine. "God, Abbey. Way to warn someone!" he shouted louder, his hand still clapped over his eyes.

"I'm sorry, Noah!" she said in a desperately sorry voice.

Puck was sputtering nonsense. "Uh, ta, wha-, Ugh." He shivered. "What is he even doing here, Abbegail! I said no!"

Abbey ran her hands through her hair a few times and she and Jeremy stood up together, fully composed. "We're sorry."

He uncovered his eyes and glared at his sister. "Sorry, sorry, don't sorry me, Abbegail Mason Puckerman. I said no. No means no. And he was even on top of you. Sitting, sure, maybe I wouldn't be as mad or be reacting as bad, but really?"

"How can you say that when you were doing the same thing over at Rachel's house?"

He didn't answer for a moment. "There wasn't like, open-shirt-age or being-on-top-of-each-other… ness…" Abbey looked down at the floor shamefully. "I mean, what if I hadn't come home when I did? What would have happened there, may I ask?" Neither of them answered. "Would it have gone farther?" He thought for a moment. "_Did _it go further?"

"What?"

Puck placed his hands on his hips. "Did you guys… Like…" He waved his hands back and forth between them.

This time, they were the ones to freak out. They started talking at the same time, both of them talking at a thousand miles a minute.

"Do you honestly think that way about me? Even if I-"

"I would never do that! Especially since she's your-"

"Like, come on, Puck, I'm your sister? You always talk about-"

"Definitely wait until we were older, but I mean-"

He held his hands up, silencing them. "Listen, you never know. Things happen behind the scenes. And as your older brother and _guardian, _I am obligated to ask such things when I find Little Miss Unbuttoned over here practically vacuuming your lips off…" The two teens were silent. "Jeffery-"

"Jeremy," they corrected at the same time.

He waved it away. "Yeah, whatever. Jeremy, I think it's time you left. Abbey and I need to have a little talk." He nodded and went to kiss Abbey good-bye. "Whoa, whoa, whoa, there's been enough of that. Say 'good-bye' and be on your way."

"Bye, Abbey. I'll talk to you later." She smiled weakly as he caught a glance of Puck. "Hopefully."

Abbey nodded. "Right… Hopefully. Bye, Jer."

Jeremy walked toward Puck, stepping around him when he didn't move out of the way. When they heard the door close, Puck looked back to Abbey with stern eyes. "Do you have any idea how much trouble you're in?" he sneered, his eyebrow raised high in the air.

She nodded solemnly. "Yeah…"

"Good!" Abbey bit her lip. "God, you just don't know when enough is enough. What if I hadn't come in when I did? Would it have lead to… _that…" _

His little sister shook her head. "No! But even if it did, you would have to worry. I have… stuff."

Puck, who was tapping his foot on the floor, froze, his eyes wise and his toes pointed toward the ceiling, jaw dropped. "What? You do?" She nodded. "Well, that's just great. Abbey, _I _didn't even have that stuff when I was your age. I'm pretty sure Jared doesn't have that stuff… You're unbelievable."

"Well, it's not like I went out and bought them… They gave them out in that sex seminar thing you _made _me go to."

He rolled his eyes. "And apparently, you've learn nothing."

"Look, Noah, I'm sorry. Really, I am."

Puck chewed on his bottom lip for a moment. "I don't care. To think about what could have happened makes me sick. You know this has happened to me, okay? Heat of the moment, things happen, you forget to do the things you said you would, and then, _boom!_" He made an explosion gesture with his hands. "You're pregnant. To think that could have happened to you and Gary makes me sick." She flushed red, her lips pressed into a straight line. "And you're grounded… For two weeks. No going out—with friends or with Gregory—no cell phone, iPod, laptop ot home computer. I don't want to you talk to what's his name for two weeks. If he called the house phone and you answer, hang up. Right away."

"Okay," she said defeated, pulling her cell phone out of her pocket and placing it in his hand. They both nodded. "Can we watch a movie?"

"Yes, please," he said, desperate to change the subject.

They both scampered off to the TV room, putting in a random DVD and not talking until it was over.

**I had fun coming up with names for Jeremy. Hope you liked it. It took a long time to cook up Breakfast, and I hope it was sweet enough for you. Even though BisQuick (Baby and Quinn) is what makes up the Pancakes, Raspberries complete it. Please review! **


	13. Mommyhood

**Hello dear readers! I missed you guys! This chapter is going to be a little different, I fell as though I've been doing too much PuckleBerry, even though I love writing it. This is just something to do a little more story backround... You know? Enjoy. **

Chapter Thirteen: Mommyhood

_It's weird, _Quinn thought as she looked at herself in the mirror. _Three days ago, I swear that bump wasn't there. I _must _be imagining things. _

Quinn's bed was a mess. Her pajamas had been thrown on the floor when she woke up that morning feeling especially nauseous and fat. Quinn had placed her hand over her stomach and instantly rid of herself of the t-shirt and sweatpants she'd been wearing. She's scurried over to the mirror hanging on her closet door and she'd nearly started crying. A bump. There was a bump on her stomach, one that would take away everything; her body, her popularity, her life.

Quinn turned to the side again, examining her stomach from all angles. After running her hand over her stomach a few times, she stared hard at the shadow the bump was making. A slight blue line crossing diagonally from above her hip bone to directly below her belly button. She nearly glared at it, her eyes narrowing as if trying to make it disappear.

She was interrupted, though, when someone came through the door. "Quinnie? Daddy and I need to talk to you..."

The young girl jumped, scrambling to find something to cover herself. When she didn't get anything, she jumped into her bathroom, hiding behind the door frame. "Quinn? Is everything alright?" her fathers voice called, sounding close.

"Yes!" she responded, pinching her eyes shut as she prayed they wouldn't come into the bathroom.

There was silence for a moment, then her mother spoke. "Well, could you come out here, please. Your father and I need to have a talk with you about your sister's anniversary party..."

She hesitated to answer. "Uh, sure... Can you just hand me a t-shirt?"

"What?"

"A t-shirt."

There was some rustling then a t-shirt appeared through the doorway. "Why do you need a t-shirt, Quinn?" her mother said, stepping into the bathroom. The two women froze as the looked at each other through the bathroom mirror, eyes wide. "Sweetie, why are you dressed in only your under clothes?"

"Judy? What happened?" the father's voice boomed.

No one answered. Judy Fabray just looked at her daughter, a shocked look on her face. "I don't understand; Quinn, what's going on?"

"Judy!"

The mother grabbed Quinn's arm and pulled her out of the bathroom and into the middle of her room. The young girl did her best to cover herself up as her father stared at his daughter, standing there, her skin exposed. "Quinn? Why are you half naked and in your bathroom? Is everything alright?"

She shook her head. "No, it's not..." Quinn's eyes burned, nearly caught on fire as she tried to hold back the tears that were building up along her lids. "I.. There's something I need to tell you two..."

"You're not doing drugs, are you?" her mother said desperately, her fingers flitting to her chest.

"No, no, nothing like that; I'm not doing drugs I promise." Her parents sighed in relief.

Judy Fabray smiled at her. "Well, whatever it is, sweetie, I'm sure we can work it out together as a family."

Quinn took a few deep breaths, letting them out slowly. "I..." Quinn choked as a lump rose in her throat. "I'm pregnant." The words were so quiet, she thought she couldn't even hear them.

"What?" her father said, his brow creasing together. "I'm sorry, sweetheart, I couldn't hear you."

"Pregnant," she whispered only a shade louder.

"Huh?"

"_Pregnant!_" Quinn screamed, her hand slapping over her mouth just a second too late.

The couple froze in their places, a glazed look covering their eyes and shocked looks on their faces. They stayed the way they were for what seemed like days for Quinn, but what really only resulted in ten seconds. When the time was up, Mr. Fabray was the first to speak. "I see..." For a moment, Quinn relaxed. "I know that your mother said that what ever you needed to tell us we'd work through as a family but I see now that to do something as such, you would need to be a part of it."

A tear spilled over Quinn's eye and she struggled to keep the others where they were. "What? I... Daddy, how can you say that? I'm you're daughter."

"No, you're not. If you were a part of this family, you would have done as you had learned, saved yourself for when you were married, for when you found the right person. You didn't do that." Judy Fabray slid next to her husband, placing one hand on his chest while her head rested near his shoulder as he instinctively wrapped his arm around her waist. "That's the rule of my family, Quinn, and you broke it." His voice was staying surprisingly leveled and calm, almost monotonous. "You're not my daughter, I want you out of here by noon."

Quinn began to shake as more of her tears fell, making shining streaks down her cheeks. "But, Daddy..."

"As of right now, you have three hours to find somewhere to go and get out of my house. Quinn Fabray, I suggest you start packing."

Finn sat in his living room, fingers flying over the PS3 game controller as his eyes never left the TV. Next to him was an uneaten turkey sandwich and a pile of potato chips on a plate. An empty can of Coke was in front of him on the ottoman with his feet propped up next to it.

He supposed this is what you could call long weekend behavior; relaxing on the couch. That was fine by him. He didn't really care, though, because his mother was working all day—4 AM to 8 PM—and his day was completely person free.

_I could b walking around naked, _he thought, pausing the game as he sat at attention, considering this thought. _I _should _be walking around naked. This is my house... No one's going to me home for another nine hours..._

He nodded at this thought, standing up. He was about to pull off his shirt when the doorbell rang. A frustrated sigh flew through his lips but he wandered over to the door, opening it. "What do you wa-" He stopped suddenly when he saw the tear stained girl standing in his entryway. "Quinn? ...What are you doing here...? With a suitcase?"

She suddenly started crying again, dropping her bag and falling into his chest, her arms wrapping around his middle tightly. Dumbly, Finn slid his arms around her shoulders, holding her in a hug as she sobbed, her whole body jolting with each cry. She started squealing out nonsense words that Finn couldn't understand, but in the end, he'd managed to pick out 'Looking at bump', 'Asked for a t-shirt', and 'Kicked out'. "I... They kicked you out?" She sobbed louder. "They can't do that; they're your parents and they have complete responsibility over you until you're eighteen... I had to do a paper about it."

"But they did," she said quietly, pressing her ear against his warm chest. "I... I can stay here, can't I?"

He smiled at his girlfriend, kissing her forehead. "Yeah, of course... Do you have any more bags or anything?"

Quinn nodded. "Mm-hmm, in the trunk of my car..." Finn looked out the door to see Quinn's red Volkswagon punch buggy sitting in the driveway. "Do you want me to help you?"

"Naw, I'll be alright." He headed to the car. "If you're hungry, there's a sandwich on the couch and some chips; there's soda in the fridge as always."

As Finn headed out the door, he tried to figure out why people like Quinn's parents—head on Christians—could kick their daughter out onto the streets especially whens she was pregnant with a baby. It confused him to no end, but he knew he'd never be able to figure out why, so he just let it go and began to carry three of Quinn's eight suitcases into the house, smiling at her every time he passed the living room. She was just sitting there, sadly eating the sandwich.

When the last bag was brought in, Finn sat down next to her on the couch, put his arms around her, and hugged her until she stopped crying. "I love you," she whispered into his chest, hiccuping.

Finn nodded. "I know... I love you too."

**Haha, there you go. Please review! I wanna know your input and if you have any ideas on story plot or just a one chapter thing, let me know! I'd love to involve my readers in the writing, don't be afraid to speak up! **

**Love, Renee**


	14. Nothing To See

**Okay, I think the only thing I can say to you guys is sorry for the wait… :( The first term in school just ended so there were lots of tests and projects and stuff and the musical just ended, so… Yeah. **

**Enjoy! **

Chapter Fourteen: Nothing To See

Puck woke up on Monday morning with his face pressed into his pillow. He sucked in a huge breath through his nose and instantly started coughing from lack of oxygen. He pushed himself up into cobra position, groggily looking around the room.

Puck smelled something gross, a sour smell that instantly filled his nostrils. His face scrunched up and he leaded from bed, following the scent down the hallway to the bathroom. He froze, first because of the smell reeking from inside, then from what was lying on the floor. Abbegail was sprawled out on the rug, blood dripping from her nose. There was throw-up all over the floor and she looked pale.

"Abbey?" he said, kneeling down next to her and lightly shaking her. "Abbey? Are you awake?"

She suddenly sat up, the blood stream moving from her cheek to down her lips. "Noah!" Abbegail shot from the floor, her hand clasped over her nose. "Why are you up?"

Puck's forehead creased. "It's Monday morning… I have to go to school…"

Abbegail splashed water on her face, cleaning away the blood and throw-up. "Right," she said after she'd wiped her face with a towel. "Well… Get out."

"What? I… Are you okay?"

She nodded. "Yeah. Fine." She started pushing him out of the bathroom but he spread out his feet and hands, wedging them on the doorframe. His eyebrow was arched and he was giving her that look. The look that screamed 'I don't believe you.' "Seriously, Noah, I'm fine. Get out."

Abbegail managed to get him fully out of the bathroom and slam the door in his face—with much difficultly—and he sighed, banging his fist on the door once. "Abbegail, I have to take a shower!"

"Use Mom's bathroom! It's bigger!" she called, picking up the rug and tossing it into the tub. She turned on the water and poured half a bottle of detergent from the cupboard onto it, watching the foam bubbles blur as tears gathered under her eyes.

He sighed, letting his head fall against the door with a 'bang.' "Abbey, I need to take a shower. I' not using Mom's shower. If she found out she'd kill me." Abbegail said nothing. "She'd notice if I used her shampoo and stuff."

Suddenly, the bar of soap and a bottle of shampoo came flying through the door before it slammed shut again. He caught them before they hit the floor and shrugged, heading to his mother's room and to the bathroom that was just off her closet.

He started humming as he waited for the water to heat up then he stepped in, squirting the shampoo over his Mohawk.

_Every time that I look in the mirror  
All these lines on my face getting clearer  
The past is gone  
It went by, like dusk to dawn  
Isn't that the way  
Everybody's got their dues in life to pay  
_

He began singing into the bar of soap he had be rolling around in his hands, his eyes snapped shut as he bounced in his spot to an imaginary beat

_Yeah, I know nobody knows  
Where it comes and where it goes  
I know it's everybody's sin  
You got to lose to know how to win  
_

He jumped when Abbegail started banging on the door. "Stop singing, Noah! It's six o'clock in the morning and I am not awake enough to deal with your squawking!"

Puck laughed out loud. "Abbegail, you are just jealous because you know you can't squawk as well as I can… You just have to deal with the fact you'll never be as good as me!"

_Sing with me, sing for the year  
Sing for the laugh, sing for the tears  
Sing with me, if it's just for today  
Maybe tomorrow, the good lord will take you away  
_

He turned off the faucet and wrapped a towel around his waist, tucking it in before stepping out of the tub and swinging the door open. Abbegail was standing there in a clean pair of pajamas, her arms crossed over her chest and her foot tapping repeatedly on the floor. "Hello."

She smirked. "Oh, hi. Nice to know you're not singing anymore, annoying little crap."

Puck kissed her forehead and ruffled her hair. "I love you, too, Abbey."

"Uh-huh." He started walking away, nodding his head slowly and humming the tone to the song again. He was just about to enter his room when she spoke again. "Dude?" Puck took a few steps backwards and looked at her. "That ring is repulsive. Take it out."

He looked down at his chest. "Um… Eh, I don't think so, I'll keep it in, thanks."

"Puck, it's nasty. I don't even know why you got it; it must have been painful as hell and it just looks bad."

Her older brother laughed a few times. "I was drunk. Don't remember a thing actually, just that the next morning, Matt explained the whole story to me about how instead of wincing or whatever… I laughed, then cried then punched the guy and had to pay an extra fifty bucks."

Abbegail rolled her eyes. "Well, whatever, I don't like it. Please take it out."

"You're not my mother…"

She started marching toward him and he quickly stepped into his room, closing the door and locking it. "Ha," he said quietly, walking to his dresser for a pair of boxers. He glanced at the clock on his nightstand, then quickly threw on a pair of old jeans and a plain white t-shirt. "I'm late, I'm late, I'm late…" he muttered, shuffling around his room for a pair of socks.

When he succeeded in finding a pair that must have been worn weeks ago, he grabbed his sneakers and backpack, running out of his room. Puck was halfway down the stairs when Abbegail called out to him. "Wait!" He froze, his legs in mid-step. "Come back here." He backed up the stairs, turning around when he reached the top to see his sister standing there in her bumble bee pajama pants, black tank top and bunny slippers. Her hair was tired up into a messy bun and Puck could see it flopping around as she looked him over.

"…What?" he said, completely clueless.

Abbegail leaned on her foot, one arm supporting the other while her chin rested on her fist. "You look like you just came home from sleeping outside." She sniffed a few times. "And those socks smell like it, too." Abbegail grabbed his hand and tugged him toward his room. "I can see that I'm going to have to start dressing you from now on," he said as they entered his room.

Instantly, she went to his dresser, opening the bottom drawer and pulling out a pair of light wash jeans with rips in them. "Abbey, I never wear those."

She threw them at him. "Well, it's time you started. They're nice. And they're from Aeropostale."

"All the more reason to not wear them…"

Abbegail arched her eyebrow at him and he, reluctantly, changed his jeans before pulling off the white t-shirt he had on. She handed him a black long sleeve shirt before retreating to his closet and appearing again with a white, blue and navy plaid shirt.

"No, no, hell no. I am _not _wearing that in public." He stepped away from her, his hands out in defense. "Get away.

She stomped her foot once. "Puck, you know I will put the shirt on you myself, if you don't." He nodded, scared. "Okay, so put it on, you wuss." He did so, leaving it unbuttoned. "Okay, good. And, now…" she stepped toward him, rolling both the button down and the undershirt sleeves halfway up his forearm. "Now, you look good."

He grinned. "Thanks."

"But you will need to change your socks. You want to be welcoming, not deadening. I mean, we don't want her to die when you go get her."

"What?"

Abbegail grinned. "Oh, I forgot to tell you. Rachel called last night." He froze, looking at his sister with wide eyes and pursed lips. "She asked if you could give her a ride because her car broke down and it's at that Hummel kid's dad's place. Hummel Tires or whatever… The point is, you have to go pick her up."

He flung his arms in the air, exasperated. "Well, that's fantastic, Abbegail. Now, I have to go get her and I'm already late for school as it is. Picking up Berry would mean driving all the way across town, past McKinley in fact, to get to her house, pick her up and take up both to school," he said, pacing around his room with one shoe in each hand. "Great, I'm glad you told me in time."

Abbegail made a face before continuing. "You know something… I think she thinks you guys are a thing now."

He looked at his little sister for a moment. "Well… We kind of are. I mean, we've made out way more that once and I was at her house for dinner… Not exactly something I would call a friendship." Puck looked at the clock. "Oh, wonderful. Now I'm five minutes past the time I should have been there. Thank you."

She huffed. "You're not going to be late. You _always _get to school a half hour early."

"Yeah, but I still gotta pick up Berry and get to the high school… Jesus."

"Well, stop wasting time pacing around your room and go get her!"

Puck nodded stiffly. "Right." He kissed her forehead again. "Thanks for the outfit, it's fantastic, bye," he spat out, running out of his room and down the stairs.

"Uh-huh, you're welcome." The front door slammed shut. "Bye!" she called sarcastically to no one. Abbegail shook her head a few times. "Ugh, men."

* * *

Mercedes and Kurt were hanging by her locker near the front doors, talking about the duet assignment in glee. "I just can't wait to see them perform. You know there's a thing going on between them so the song they do is going to be adorable," Mercedes said, pulling her bag up higher on her shoulder.

"Yeah, I know, but with Rachel's song choice and Puck's song choice, you know there was conflict… They're probably doing a mash-up of something from a musical and something from the seventies that Puck claims to be epic music. It might be a disaster…" He noticed the girl's attention was caught on something else. "Mercedes? Mercedes, are you listening to me?"

She shook her head slowly then pointed to the front doors. "Oh…"

"My…"

"God," they said together, their eyes transfixed on what was walking into the school.

As if it were in slow motion, Puck and Rachel came strutting in, her hair being 'blown' in the wind as their eyes surveyed the crowd that was staring. They were shoulder to shoulder, their feet walking in the same pace and their arms swinging at the same time. Mouths dropped farther when Puck smirked then draped his arm around her shoulders and her arm slid around his waist. The two of them glided right past the gawking Mercedes and Kurt who slowly turned with them, following Rachel and Puck down the hallway, their footsteps in time with theirs.

"This is so weird…" Mercedes whispered to Kurt as Tina latched on with them, her body and face instantly falling into that of Kurt and Mercedes.

He nodded in agreement. "I never thought they would make it official."

Mike, who had begun to follow as well, made a face. "I don't think they did. Puckerman would have told me by now…"

The three of them looked at him. "Would have, really? In the case of dating Rachel Berry, would he have actually told you?"

"I… I mean, I don't know, Tina. Usually, yeah. We all know they've been, like, hooking up or whatever they're doing at her house, and he usually brags about that stuff…"

Kurt snorted. "Is making out with Rachel something to brag about?"

Suddenly, Puck and Rachel stopped, not even looking behind them. "We can hear you, you know," he said loudly, slightly looking over his shoulder at his fellow glee clubbers. They all froze for a moment, then scattered around, trying to get away from them as quickly as possible.

Grinning, Rachel stood up on her toes and placed a kiss on Puck's cheek, giggling when he turned his face, catching her lips on his. Everyone around them stopped and stared at the two teenagers kissing in the hallway. Puck turned away from her. "Is there something to look at?" A few of them nodded while others snapped pictures with their phones, showing their friends what they'd captured. "What is there to see? Someone, tell me."

No one answered.

"That's what I thought, not move along."

Everyone shuffled away and Rachel laughed once, looking up into Puck's hazel gray eyes. "Now," he said quietly, giving her a soft smile. "Where were we?"

Rachel smiled and stood up on her toes again, pressing her lips softly to his once again.

…**Yeah… **

**REVIEW! **


	15. Secrets?

**Puckleberry anyone? **

Chapter Fifteen: Secret?

"India," Tina answered, earning a smile from the history teacher.

She nodded. "That's correct. And, what is one of the mistreatments of Indian women? Rachel?"

The brunette looked up from her notebook. "Huh?"

Ms. Andrews, the teacher, laughed once. "Mistreatments of Indian women?"

"Oh!" She started scrambling for her notes. "Um, female infanticide, _sati, _and dowry harassment," Rachel rushed out, smiling when Ms. Andrews nodded.

The teacher turned toward the board with a dry erase marker in her hand. She was about to write something when the bell rang. "Okay, class! Homework! Write a two page paper on dowry deaths. Due the next time we meet, which is on Wednesday. That gives you two days. I want good reasoning! Have a great rest of the day!"

Rachel gathered up her papers and carefully put them into the notes section of her binder before prancing out of the classroom. She was suddenly yanked to the side, yelping when someone placed a quick kiss on her lips. She smiled, though, when she recognized Puck's familiar scent.

He pulled away, smirking. "S'up, Berry?" he said, lacing his fingers through hers.

"How did you know I'd be here?" Rachel asked, giggling slightly.

"I asked around." Her eyebrow rose. "Okay, so I locked Jacob Ben Israel in a port-a-potty until he told me what class you were in, so what?" Rachel lightly hit his chest, but smiles up at him. "What class do you have now?"

Rachel thought for a moment, going through her schedule in her head. "I have chemistry lab…" she said in a slightly disappointed tone. "But, I know you have a free period…" He nodded. "Will you walk with me?"

Puck grinned. "Would be my pleasure," he said, slowing his pace so it would take longer for them to get there. "So…" She looked up at him again. "How has your day been so far?"

She groaned. "Just awful. When I was in calculus, we had a pop quiz on the homework we'd done the night before which was on the hyperbola formula and it was very frustrating because I wasn't given any time to study. Then, during second period, during English, I realized I'd forgotten my _Catcher in the Rye _book and I had to share with Jacob Ben Israel, which was the most uncomfortable thing ever, considering what happened on the football field that one time, then I had Spanish, which was fantastic because Mr. Schuster let us out of the class because he was working on something, then I had history, which wasn't bad either, but it still wasn't fabulous and now, I'm going to-"

"Okay, I lost you at pop quiz," he said bluntly, looking at her with a confused look on his face. "Rephrase."

Rachel giggled. "My day's good, how is yours?"

Puck nodded. "Pretty good. This period and last I have frees. And lunch is in between them. I was hoping you would have a free period now—I know you have a free last as well—so we could go out to lunch or something…" he said, trailing off. She let her shoulders slump and she pouted her lip, showing her disappointment.

When they reached the science wing, they walked even slower, not speaking until they got to her lab room. They were about to say their good-byes when she noticed a note on the door. Stepping away from him, she read the note out loud. "Chemistry labs with Mr. Hambrow are canceled today—he is out sick. Enjoy a free period class. Principal Figgins." She looked up at Puck over her shoulder.

He grinned. "BreadstiX?"

* * *

Rachel and Puck headed across the parking lot after having signed out at the office. Her flats were thwacking against the asphalt as she pattered along next to him, a grin plastered on her face because she just couldn't shake the fact that she was going to BreadstiX with Noah Puckerman. Not something that happens every day, she could tell, then again, Noah Puckerman doesn't usually have girlfriends either, just sex partners.

Puck didn't really know what to do about the situation. He wasn't sure if the relationship between them bad blossomed into something other than friends-who-occasionally-make-out-with-each-other-but-they're-not-quite-friends-with-benefits-but-not-boyfriend/girlfriend-either. He'd never really been in something like this. It was girlfriend, benefriend or nothing. He didn't really have any girl friends… Lady friends… Friends that were women. Unless you counted his sister, who was kind of like a friend. She played video games with him and has, on numerous occasions, tackled him to the ground without trouble. All his guy friends… Friends who were men… have done that to him, so should he count her as a friend? He didn't know.

But, back onto the subject of his status with Rachel, he was completely clueless. He decided to ask her. "Hey, Rachel?" She stopped and looked at him with big, brown eyes. "Uh… Do you mind if we stop at my house first? I should probably check on Abbey, to see if she's up and all…" He'll ask her. Later.

Rachel nodded. "Yeah, sure. I've only met her once and she was quite charming then, so, I'd love to."

Puck opened the door to his Jeep, helping her in when she had difficulties from her lack of height. She smiled, embarrassed, but he just stepped forward, kissing her quickly before taking her bag. Rachel touched her lips as they tingled from when he'd kissed her and laughed once. As he jogged around the car after tossing the bags in the back seat, she leaned back but instantly leaned forward again. Reaching behind her, she revealed a CD case that had been wedged into the seat. She rolled her eyes, looking at it thoughtfully as her mind rushed back to that morning Puck had picked her up.

_Rachel was sitting on her stairs, her foot bouncing at a thousand miles an hour as she wanted for Puck to come get her. "I wish I had my car," she said to herself, checking the clock for the tenth time. "I would have been at school already if I did." _

_The doorbell rang. She jumped up to answer it, but then suddenly remembered what Mercedes had told her a few days ago. 'Boys aren't something to get excited over. Sure, they treat you nice, but when it comes down to it, a women is the one who controls everything.' So, instead of flinging the door open, she wanted thirty seconds. Okay, fifteen, since she was counting double time. Slowly, she let him inside, giving him a suave smile. He was looking quite attractive in a shirt and jeans that his sister had obviously picked out for him. _

_"Hello, Noah. Good to see you." _

_He nodded. "Good to see you too, Rachel." She slid her coat on. "Are you ready to go?" _

_Rachel smiled again, her heart fluttering slightly when he reached his hand out, taking her bag. "Yes, I am ready. Are you?" He grinned. "Let's go." _

_They headed out to his car, a black Jeep wrangler that sat in her drive. When she opened the door, she jumped back, yelping as Coca-Cola bottles fell onto the ground. They clattered everywhere, rolling under the car and around her feet. Puck laughed, kneeling down to pick them up. "Calm down, Berry. They're not going to bite you." _

_She blushed, her cheeks feeling hot as they flushed a deep red. "It just… Startled me." Puck snorted. "They did!" _

_"Yeah, yeah." He tossed them into the back, along with their backpacks. "Just get in the car, Berry." _

_She did, with great difficulty as she had to push a football, cleats, two textbooks and a shoe box off the seat and onto the floor. "You know… You could clean up your car a little bit. At least the front seat." _

_Puck waved his hand dismissively at her. "Nah. I'm cool with it like this." She attempted to buckle herself in. "Oh, uh, it's sorta broken." Leaning into the back, he shuffled around for a bit before coming back with a Bungee cord. "You need to use this," he mumbled as he reached across her, hooking one of the ends on the side of the seat and the other end on the opposite side. _

_Rachel's mouth fell open slightly. "That's awful, Noah! Why didn't you get it fixed." _

_"Don't know. Have no time, I suppose." She rolled her eyes. Puck turned the key in the ignition, the engine rolling over a few times. Puck groaned. "Oh, come _on, _seriously?" He tried again. "Shit." _

_Her eyebrow shot up. "Something… wrong?" _

_He glared at her slightly, his eyes narrowing. "No," he forced out, climbing from the driver's side angrily and opening the hood. Puck was still for a moment, his thumb and pointer finger stroking his chin thoughtfully before his face suddenly lit up. With one ferocious whip of his arm, he brought his fist right down onto the engine then slammed the lid, calmly getting back into the car. "There." Puck tried the ignition again. _

_"You do know that's not going to make it bett-"_

_The car roared to life. Her jaw fell all the way open. Puck smirked at her smugly, pulling out of her driveway and driving toward school. "Ha." _

"I've been looking for that," Puck said, taking the CD from her hand. "Def Leopard is awesome." She looked at the jewel again. "Like, my all time favorite song by them is Pour Some Sugar on Me. Epic as hell and the drummer is awesome. He only has one arm and he plays better than Finn." Rachel nodded slowly, taking the CD out of the case and slipping it into the player. "It's track number five." Rachel skipped to the track and listened, nodding her head to the beat. "Sweet, right?"

Rachel made a noise that was some form of a 'Yeah.' "You can go now... Drive, I mean."

"Oh, can I? Thank you for the okay to operating a vehicle." She giggled. "Alright, well, we have to be back in two and a half hours for glee, so we better get cracking."

Rachel nodded in agreement. "Yes, I would be quite embarrassed if I were to show up late to something so important that it could affect whether or not I get a Grammy." Puck looked at her dumbly. "Yes, let's go, we don't want to be late," she said, translating it into footballer speak.

"Awesome." He put the car in reverse, turned around and pulled out of the sophomore parking lot. "Let's hit the freaking road." She gave him a firm nod. "We only have to be there for a few minutes anyway, so you don't need to worry." She nodded again. "I just need to see if she's awake."

Rachel snuggled into her seat. "It's completely fine, Noah. I want to see your sister. I didn't give her a proper good-bye when I left the other day." Puck's hands tightened on the wheel. "So, honestly, take your time."

The two of them drove in silence until they reached his house, bouncing up the front steps and into the entry way. "Abbegail, you better be awake!" he called as she dumped his back pack on the TV room couch. There was no reply. "Abbey, come on! Answer me!" Still, there was nothing. "Hey, Rach? Could you see if she's awake? She's the one on the right. The small one with posters all over the walls."

"Yeah, sure." Rachel skipped up the stairs. "Abbey? Are you awake?" She pushed the bedroom door open and saw the bed empty. "Abbey? It's me, Rachel?" There was some clattering from down the hall and she turned toward it, following her ears to their mother's room, to her bathroom, which had a closed door. "Abbey? Is that you?"

"Yes?" she answered tentatively, everything suddenly becoming silent.

Rachel stepped toward the door. "Is everything alright?" she said, pushing the door open, since it wasn't shut all the way.

Rachel gasped when she saw what Abbey was doing in the bathroom. She was standing in front of the mirror, a clump of tissues pinched around her bleeding nose. There was a reeking coming from inside and Rachel had a feeling that it was coming from the toilet full off vomit. Abbegail, who was now sobbing into her hand, looked at Rachel through the mirror pinching her nose tighter. Rachel didn't know how to react to the thirteen year old who was standing in front of her.

"Wha- Abbey? I don't understand," she said, nearly crying.

Puck's little sister cleaned away her bloody nose and turned to face Rachel. "It's fine, Brunch Girl," Abbegail said, leaning against the sink. "Don't worry about it." Her hand clapped over her hand and she then knelt down by the floor, puking into the toilet. Rachel sucked her lips into her mouth and bit down on them.

Abbegail coughed a few times, struggling to stand up. After a few moments, Rachel went over and helped her stand, leaning her against the wall. "Just… Don't tell Puck about this, okay?" she said weekly, giving Rachel a pitiful look through her lashes. "He doesn't need to worry about it or anything…"

Rachel's eyebrow went up. "Abbey, if there's something wrong, you should tell someone. Especially if it's about your health. It's not good to keep things from your family."

Abby scoffed. "Oh, please, Rachel," she said, brushing her teeth and swishing mouth wash. "It's seriously no big deal. I've had this stomach bug thing for, like, two days now, so it's nothing to worry about. I know that I have to take that disgusting pink stuff, but seriously, that shit makes me throw up too. And I get bloody noses in the fall… Dry air, you know?" Rachel could hear her rambling, trying to hide something, but she wasn't sure what. Abbegail was talking fast, just as fast as Rachel and she suddenly began to feel like every person who talks to her. "But, honestly, you have nothing to worry about." Abbegail looped her arm around Rachel's. "So… Is Puck looking for me?"

"Um, yeah…" Rachel was cautious to answer. Abbegail was acting uncanny, even for someone who was related to Puck. "But, are you sure you don't think you should tell Noah? Like, sure, sure?" Abbey nodded. "He's down stairs doing something. He wanted me to check on you to see if you were awake."

The two of them headed down stairs where Puck was waiting by the front door. "Ah, ladies," he said, taking Rachel from his little sister. "Everything alright? Abs, you look a little pale." Puck placed his hand against her forehead. "Are you feeling okay? You're a little warm."

"Fine!" she said brightly, removing his hand from her forehead and squeezing it once. "Go. Don't take away your date time because you think I'm running a fever."

He put his hand back. "You_ are_ running a fever."

Abbegail laughed, slapping him in the arm lightly. "Please. I'm fine. Stop being to paranoid and go on your lunch date with Brunch Girl," she said, kissing his cheek before flouncing off to the den that was right down the hall. "Bye!"

Puck and Rachel stood there for a moment, struck by confusion, before they looked at each other. "Well… It seems as though she's kicking us out of the house," Puck said in a logical voice, shrugging once. "Whatevs. Shall we, Ms. Berry?"

She slipped her hand into his. "We shall."

But as they got back into the Jeep and drove toward BreadstiX, Rachel couldn't stop thinking about what she'd seen in the bathroom and what Abbegail had said to her. _Don't tell Puck about this, okay? He doesn't need to worry about it or anything. _

The question Rachel kept turning over in her head was, 'He doesn't need to worry about… what?'

**Cliffy? Yeah. Bad cliffy? Yeah. **

**Review? Yeah. **


	16. Introduction

**Okay, so, I'm back from Puerto Rico, where in I got a lot of stuff done. Cooking Breakfast was a delight and I have two new courses for you today, my dear Munchies. That's your new name, btw. The Munchies, because you're reading a story that has a title containing Breakfast, which is awesome. **

**Okay, time to read! **

Chapter Sixteen: Introduction to Soda

When the two of them reached BreadstiX, Puck got a table for two. The hostess gave him an odd look. "Are… Aren't you the boy who broke the record for the most breadsticks eaten in one sitting?" she asked, twisting her ponytail around her finger.

"Why, yes, yes, I am," he responded nonchalantly, wrapping his arm around Rachel's shoulders for the second time that day.

The hostess nodded approvingly. "Alright. I'll take you to your table now." The followed her and Puck found it increasingly easier to not stare at the hostess's ass since he was guiding Rachel's fine behind with his hand placed on the small of her back. As they sat down, the she handed them two menus. "Your waitress will be right with you."

"Okay, thank you," Puck said politely and she smiled at him before walking back to her place by the door.

Rachel stared at her menu in a haze, not paying attention as Puck began to talk to her about his epic win of the BreadstiX war with the guy who had held the previous record. She was just looking at the gold lettering on the leather cover, a picture of a cup with breadsticks in it etched into the cover and now into her brain.

Only when Puck reached across the table and placed his hand on hers did she flash back to reality and look at him. "Hey, are you alright?" he said in a caring voice, his eyebrows pushed together in worry. "You've been unnaturally quite since we left the house."

Rachel flashed him a fake smile. "Yeah, I'm fine!"

This was a lie, of course. Rachel was not fine. She was far from, in fact. Seeing Puck's little sister puke into a toilet and bleed so much it brought her to tears would not make her fine, it would make her scared. Never in her life had she seen someone like that and she was petrified because Abbegail was refusing to tell Puck and was insisting that it was only just the dry air and a sickness that was going around. That was something she just didn't understand. Puck was the person who looked after Abbegail the most. If she was sick, it would be common knowledge that she would tell him, or at least let Rachel tell him. She even contemplated telling Puck about it, but Abbey had asked her not to tell, and she felt that it would violate the trust that must be forming between the two of them, so she, for once, kept her mouth shut.

But, then Puck started talking about the Cheerio's Halloween party. "I mean, it's only being thrown by the glee Cheerios, but with Santana and Britney at the wheel, it's going to be epic."

Rachel smiled lightly. "Yes, I'm sure it will be… I'm just surprised that I was invited… Santana and Britney, and _Quinn, _they don't really care for my existence."

"Maybe not, but it is for some of, well, all of, the glee people or whatever, plus _half _the school, so…" She smiled, toying with a breadstick. "But whatever. I'm pretty sure Finn had talked to Quinn about it or something, maybe pulled a few strings or something, I don't know."

She laughed, silencing herself when she waitress came over. "Hello, my name is Aubrey and I'll be your server this afternoon; can I get you something to drink?"

"Two root beers," Puck said, squeezing Rachel's hand tightly when she tried to protest.

Aubrey nodded. "alright, I'll be right back with the drink s while you two decide on your meal." Then she flounced off.

When Puck released her hand, she glared at him. "Why did you do that? I can't drink root beer."

"Why the hell not?"

Rachel huffed. "Because… There is so much sugar! I can't have that much sugar in my system this close to sectionals!"

Puck waved his hand, dismissing it. "Oh, please, Rachel, it's one glass of soda. Like, seriously, you need to let loose once and a while. Some root beer isn't going to kill you."

"Yes, it will," she said, nodded her head repeatedly.

Aubrey, who seemed to come out of nowhere, placed two Coca-Cola glasses in front of them, the root beer fizzling from the top. "Alright, so you know what you're going to order?"

"Two plates of plain spaghetti and meatballs, one vegetarian for the little lady."

She scribbled it down. "Alright, I'll take your menus." Puck handed them to her. "Okay, I'll be back with your food."

"Thanks so much," he said, taking a sip from his drink. When the waitress was gone, he closed his eyes in pleasure. "Mm, damn, this is the best root beer I have ever tasted." Rachel tried to hide a smiled. "Like, seriously, dude, it tastes almost creamy."

Cautiously, Rachel slid her hand out, taking the glass off the table and near to her lips. Puck opened one eye and watched her as she took one sip, her eyes widening before she took three long gulps. He began clapping his hands silently.

"Thank you, Noah, that's very kind of you." He grinned. "Did you know that that was my first soda? Ever?"

Puck's jaw dropped. "Wait, ever? As in, before this day, you've never had soda? Ever?" She nodded her head. "Oh, well, this is an event that needs to be announced."

Her eyebrows furrowed together. "What?"

Puck rose from his seat. "Everyone! Excuse me, hi!" The restaurant fell silent and Rachel slapped her hand to her face. "Hey, so, my name is Noah Puckerman, you can all call me Puck, and, um, my girlfriend here, Rachel Berry, is sixteen years old… Is that right, sixteen?" She nodded her head, her hand still covering her face. "Yeah, sixteen and has never had soda before and today, she had her first ever drink of root beer!" He reached down and grabbed her hand, making her stand up as he lifted up his arms and her one arm as if they has just one a football game. "Whoo!" The restaurant started cheering and Rachel blushed and laughed at the same time, smiling when Puck pressed his lips to hers, holding her loosely to his body. When he pulled away, he laughed. "Yeah!"

As the cheering died, the two of them sat back down, a smile plastered on her face. "That was unnecessary," she said, though still smiling.

"Nah, it was quite necessary." She narrowed her eyes at him. "Seriously. The world, or at least BreadstiX, needed to know that you had your first ever soda toady; it just had to happen."

Rachel nodded slowly. "So… Girlfriend?"

Puck smiled. "Yeah. I think it's about time that's what I called you, since we did make out more than once, and I did go to dinner at your house and I am here, at BreadstiX, eating lunch with you." Rachel smiled. "Why, is that not what you want to be called?"

The waitress said the plates of spaghetti in front of them and smiled. "Veggie for the girlfriend," she said, setting the vegetarian meatballs and pasta in front of Rachel.

"Yeah, the girlfriend," Rachel said as Aubrey walked away.

The two of them smiled at each other. So, it was official. They were going out. So what? It was just Rachel, and it was just Puck. Not like the earth was going to throw off it's rotation or something just because they were in a relationship now. No, that wasn't going to happen. So, they both made nothing of it.

Puck nodded, unrolling his utensils from the napkin, which he placed in his lap. "Have you ever eaten here before?" he asked, taking a spoon and dishing up some pasta, twisting his fork in it.

Rachel did the same, daintily slurping up the noodles. "No, but it's very delicious."

He nodded, gobbling up half the plate. "So, back to never having drunk soda before…"

* * *

"It's not a costume party, is it?" Rachel said into the phone as she shuffled through her closet in search of something to wear.

Kurt, who had called her only five minutes prior, scoffed. "Of course. This is a Cheerios party. Do you honestly think that they would throw a Halloween party that didn't require a costume?"

Rachel considered this for a moment. "I, well, I suppose not."

"Exactly." There was a silence between them before he spoke again. "But, it's not a costume party so much as it is a masquerade… thing."

She froze. "Masquerade? Like, where people wear, like, masks?" Kurt 'Mm-hm'ed, sounding slightly distracted. "What am I supposed to wear with a mask? I don't even have a mask!"

"Whoa, calm down, Rachel. Even though you are a slight fashion disaster, I'm sure you have something. It's supposed to be, like, formal, with suits for the boys and dresses for the girls. I was talking to Santana and got the full scoop. Remember the semi-formal we had freshman year?"

"Yes."

He sighed happily. "Ah, freshman year. Anyway, it's like that. The theme is, like, gothic romance or something like that, so, if you have a dress with black lace or whatever, then, perfect." She fell silent and then Kurt gasped. "You don't have anything?" Again, silence. "Oh, my God," he said, sounding almost like he was going to pass out. "I'll be there in forty. Don't. Dress. Yourself. Stay exactly as you are until I get there.

Then the line went dead.

Rachel shrugged and went to her bed, curling up and closing her eyes until Kurt got there. Exactly forty minutes later, he appeared in her room with two bags in his hands; one, a small plastic bag and the other, a large, gray paper one with a box inside.

"Rachel, wake up!" She lifted her head groggily. "You're a double zero, aren't you?" Rachel nodded. "Perfect." He handed her the big paper bag. "Put this on and ignore the fact that it's from the most expensive store in the mall, just do it."

Without a word, Rachel went to her bathroom and changed into the dress. It took quite a while, since the back was a lace up and after a while, Kurt came walking in. "Um, having trouble?"

She looked up at him, dropping the ribbon. "Wow. Nice suit. You look quite suave."

He smoothed his tie. "Why, thank you. It's all pure silk."

Rachel stared at him with his silver/gray quit jacket and pants and gold tie with a black shirt. "Could you help me with this?" she asked, turning her back to him and moving her hair away from her shoulders.

"But, of course," he said, pulling the ribbons tight and tying a bow at the top. "I love you in this dress."

Rachel looked at herself in the mirror. "Really?"

He nodded. "Yes. You should just wear it all the time." She laughed, placing her hands on her hips. "Now…" Kurt gathered her hair in his hands. "For your hair."

* * *

Music was blasting through the speakers in the Emerald Garden ball room.

Finn, who was wearing a suit and a plain black mask, looked at the three Cheerios. "How did you manage to rent this place without paying like, a thousand dollars or the need of an adult watching!" he screamed over the beat to DJ Got Us Falling in Love.

Santana and Britney just smiled deviously at each other.

"They had a three-some with the events coordinator," Quinn said to him, crossing her arms over his chest.

The incredibly small bump that had been forming was hidden by the empire waist baby doll dress she was wearing, and she was proud of herself for it, and her lack of a mask was quickly resolved by wearing a blue birdcage veil. Her two friends, clad in red and purple, were talking with each other and staring seductively at Matt and Mike, who had on masks just like Finn's, only gold—Mike—and red—Matt. So, she took Finn's hand and pulled him toward the dance floor.

"Come dance with me," she said, smiling softly at him. He obeyed, as he always does, placing his hands on her waist as she slid her around his neck. Right as they started to dance slowly, the song changed to 2012, so they began bouncing to the beat until Mike came idling up to them.

"Finnegan, my dear fellow, have a drink." Without argument, Finn to the plastic red cup from his friend and drank. "Walk with me," Mike said, throwing his arm around the quarterback's shoulders. "If you don't mind, Quinn."

She waved her hand once, as if to say 'No problem.' When they left, she stood there for a moment, her eyes nearly popping from her head when she saw Puck enter, wearing a sleek suit with a black shirt and a white tie. He had a Phantom of the Opera mask on, the one that covered the side of the face and not both eyes.

He came up to her, his hands in his pockets. "You look good."

Quinn nodded her head once. "Yeah, Ms. Hudson helped me get ready."

"I heard you got kicked out," he said apologetically. "Sorry."

"It's only. I like it at his house anyway. His mom is much more supportive." They were silent for a moment and sighed, toying with her hair. "So, you and Rachel."

He smiled. "Yeah, Rachel…"

"Kind of a shock to see you two kissing in the middle of the hallway." Puck grinned, rubbing the back of his neck. "But, I don't blame her for going after you. You're a stud," she said, fixing his tie.

"Ah, yes, yes, I am." Quinn smiled. "What?"

She shook her head. "Nothing… You're just, um, lucky to have her."

His brow furrowed and his raised his un-masked eyebrow at her. "Why do you say that? I mean, it's totally true, but why?"

Without a word, Quinn pointed past him to the staircase entrance where Rachel was standing, Kurt on her arm. The spotlights that had been flashing around the room stopped on the two of them and he could see a smile form on her perfectly glossed lips. She was clad in a dress that stopped at her knees. It had a black top and a skirt that started below her bust. It was white with black lace covering it and it showed off her legs, which looked like they went on forever with the high heels she was sporting. With her hair pulled back into a French twist, it was easy to see the black mask she was wearing with crazy but beautiful designs coming off the side. She had dark eye makeup that slightly his her eyes but it also made them look dark and mysterious. And sexy.

"She looks gorgeous," Quinn whispered from next to him.

He looked down at her. "You both do."

She laughed once. "Thanks, but, Rachel is slightly more impressive, since she doesn't look like this every day." Puck made a noise along the lines of agreement. "Well, go get her."

With a grin, Puck walked toward them but turned back around. "Since when do you like Rachel?"

Quinn waved her hand. "I don't really, I just think, even though she's completely annoying and whatever, that she looks really pretty. I don't like her, now go."

"Could have fooled me," he said to himself, turning back to the said, which Kurt and Rachel had began to descend. Skipping the steps two at a time, he reached the two of them. "May I cut in?" he asked Kurt, holding his arm out to Rachel.

Kurt nodded. "You may." Leaning forward, he whispered, "Rock that arm, Diva," into Rachel's ear before scampering down the stairs to join everyone else in staring.

"You look so handsome, Noah," Rachel said, sliding her arm around his elbow.

He tsked his tongue, placing his free hand over his heart. "Well, thank you," he said, kissing her temple. "You look quite beautiful yourself.

Rachel blushed, her cheek nearly in flames. But she didn't know why. "You're very sweet."

"I'm just being honest, gorgeous."

She lightly hit his chest, but moved closer to him and rested her head on his arm. As they walked through the crown to where most of the glee club was standing, the people seemed to part like the red sea as they walked past.

"Damn," Mike and Matt whispered, subtly pounding fists.

"Rachel, you look… Hot." Britney said in a surprised voice.

She smiled. "Well, thank you, but it wasn't me who picked it out. It was all Kurt; outfit, hair, make-up, all of it."

Kurt laughed once, holding his hand up slightly to stop the imaginary applause. "I only did what I was good at," he said, fixing his hair, which wasn't even out of place.

Everyone was silent for a moment. "Oh, and girls." Santana, Quinn and Britney looked at Rachel. "I hope you don't mind… I invited a friend of mine to tag along." Santana's eyebrow rose, Quinn crossed her arms over her chest and Britney's face was kept in a black expression. "I met him about a year ago when me and my dads went on a cruise and it turned out he was from Ohio. He only lives a few towns over, in Dayton, so I asked if he wanted to come. Is that okay?"

With a sigh, Santana moved her red and black lace mask over her eyes. "Well, I suppose it's okay, dwarf, but only if he's not a freak… I mean, he is friends with you, so, he must have some brain problems, but sure."

Puck pulled Rachel close to him. "Hey, lay off, Santana, okay?" The Latina rolled her eyes.

"It's okay, Berry. He can come," Quinn said, leaning against Finn. Puck tightened his grip on Rachel, as if doing that would protect her from the Cheerios. "I, um, I like your hair, by the way. It looks cute."

Rachel reached up and touched her hairdo lightly. "Oh, thanks, Quinn." The blond smiled. "You're dress is adorable, though," she said awkwardly, feeling like she needed to say something back.

"Thank you." Quinn looked down at the medium blue dress with a black lace slip over it. "I got it at Macy's, but, as long as it looked cute." Rachel nodded excitedly. She beamed. "Well, thank you, again," she said, smoothing her hands over the skirt of it.

After a while, Puck looked down at Rachel. "Wanna dance?" She smiled and didn't even need to answer as he quickly pulled her to the floor. "Use those mile long legs of yours. Seduce me."

Rachel looked up at him through her think, black lashes. "If we're gotten to the point of me being in a romantic relationship with you, I think I already have."

Puck laughed loudly, pressing his lips to hers lightly. Slowly, he made his way across her cheek and to her ear, whispering, "Do it again."

Then, the two began to dance.


	17. DESIGNATED DRIVER

**Munchies, I have an announcement. Actually, I have two announcements. One, aclassicistkitten kindly pointed out to me, Quinn was quite off in the last chapter. So, I changed it. Go check it out, but just that part. Everything else stayed the same. Thank you, dear! Two, I'm sick. I'm eating Halls cough drops like they're candy. So, you'll be getting a lot of updating if you're subscribed to me as an author. If it gets annoying, I'm sorry!**

**And remember, through this whole chapter, Santana isn't, well, herself. So, when she talked to Puck, don't say anything. It's supposed to be that way. **

**Anyway… Breakfast… Right. **

Chapter Seventeen: DESIGNATED DRIVER!

"One, two, three, shot!"

Matt, Mike and Puck lifted the small glasses to their lips and threw their heads back. "I don't feel a thing," the Asian boy said, his eyes crossing then his right wandering around.

Puck chortled, clapping his hands gleefully. "Dude, you do _not _know how to hold your liqueur," he said in a French accent.

Matt stroked his hand across Puck's face, a drunken slap. "Neither do you, ma-han." He tried to touch his tongue to his nose. "There's a pony over there."

Everyone looked, but saw nothing. Rachel, who was standing by the three boys, crossed her arms over her chest. "I think you're all being adolescent."

Mike giggled. "Blueberry, just because you said, and I quote, 'I will not be a part of this behavior! It could jeopardize my chances of success,' doesn't mean that the rest of us can't get our freak on."

"YEAH!" Santana shouted from behind the bar. She turned a tequila bottle upside down and stared at it mesmerized, then looked back to Rachel when the bottle was empty. "YOU CAN ME OUT DESIGNATED DRIVER!"

Rachel rolled her eyes. "Yea, because all eight of you can fit in my five person Yaris."

"It is a sma-a-a-all car," Puck said quietly, almost to himself. They all thought for a moment, then he lip up. "You ca-a-a-an st-strap three-e-e-e of us to the ro-o-o-oof." They began to clap. "Th-Thank you. I'll-l-l be h-h-here all we-e-eek.," he slurred, puffing up his cheeks and blowing a raspberry.

"Oh, my gosh, guys…" Tina came marching up to them with Artie following close behind.

He was sighing. "I'm staying behind her so if she passes out, I can catch her in the chair," he explained pushing away the beer she tried to offer him.

"Oh, my gosh, guys," she said again, wavering in her spot. With her high heels, it was quite difficult for her to stand and having had three beers and a shot wasn't helping. She had been resistant at first, scared to even have a sip of beer from Puck, but after much careful persuading, they got her to have one drink and she was unstoppable since then.

"What's up, Cohen-Cha-" Mike asked, his sentence cut off was he lifted a beer to his lips.

She didn't answer for a moment. "You know what I just realized?" None of them answered, then she slammed her hands onto her chest. "I! HAVE! BOOBS!"

The boys started clapping and Santana lifted her arms in the air, whooping. "Yeah, girl!" she said, slamming her empty cup on the counter, crushing it. "Lucky you, Artie!"

"Tina, do you maybe sit down for a while? Maybe take a break?"

She whipped around and looked down at her boyfriend. "ARTIE!" She sounded surprised, like she didn't know he had been following her. "HO-O-O-O-ONK!" she said, pressing his nose. "Beep, beep!"

Rachel's eyebrows shot up, but then her expression instantly changed when Puck pulled her close to him. "He-e-ello, buh-buh-buh-beautiful."

"Hey." Rachel was slightly stiff, not wanting to talk to anyone drunk, but she found her knees knocking together

He gave her a goofy grin. "Do you wanna know a secret?" Rachel nodded. "Okay, I'll tell you. But, only if you dance the Macarena with me."

She scrunched up her nose. "I think I'll pass."

"Ah, alright." He let her go by spinning her around. "Will you go fetché my amigo?" I need to speaké with him," he said, using what he thought were French words.

She was about to go get him when Britney came ambling up to her. "Rachel! I think your friend is here!"

"Oh? What makes you say that?"

The cheerleader gulped down a drink some random person handed her. "I dunno. This person with a bla-a-a-ack mask was asking for you. He said he was a frie-e-e-end of yours."

Instantly, Rachel started scanning the crowd, seeing him by the stairs, looking for her. "Yes, good." Pushing through the people, she grabbed Kurt, who was dancing with a slightly tipsy Mercedes. "I'm gonna steal him for a while, okay?" Mercedes shrugged, turning and dancing with a tall football player. "Pretend we were talking the whole time," she whispered, fixing his tie sideways. "You'll thank me later." He made a confused face but didn't argue. "Nate!" she called, waving her hand.

The boy nodded his head once. "Rachel." They hugged each other. "Good to see you."

"Yeah, it's been a while." She pulled away from him, lifting his mask. "You look exactly the same."

Nate laughed, his perfect white teeth nearly blinding Kurt as he stared. The person before him was tall with broad shoulders and short blond hair. With an angular jaw bone, it instantly turned a goofy smile into a suave grin. Kurt's knees instantly knocked together. It was only when Nate spoke that he snapped back into reality. "I may look exactly the same, but you just gave me bad luck by lifting my mask at a masquerade."

Rachel giggled, hitting Nate's arm lightly. "Well, in that case, let me introduce you to my friends, Kurt Hummel.

They looked at each other for a moment. "I stand corrected about the luck." Kurt felt his cheeks burn. "Nice to meet you, Kurt." He stuck his hand out. "Nathaniel Michaels."

Rachel looked back and forth between the two boys, grinning. "Well, I have to get back to my boyfriend." Kissing Kurt's cheek, she whispered, "He's gay, good luck," into his ear before flouncing away.

Back at the bar, Santana and Britney were standing on the counter, shaking their hips and dancing with their arms in the air, singing along to Ke$ha's _Your Love is My Drug. _

"Go da-a-a-ance with the, Rachel," Puck said, placing sloppy kisses all over her face. "It would be hot," he slurred, annunciating the 'T.'

Rachel shook her head, holding him still. "No, thank you, Noah, I'll stay on the ground."

He pouted just as the two girls shouted, "RACHEL! DANCE WITH US!"

Matt and Mike advances toward her. "No… No…" Rachel began to back away from them. "No, no, no, no, no!" She ran into Puck and looked up backwards at him. He was grinning. The two boys grabbed an arm each, lifting her off the ground. "Boys! Put me down at once!"

"It's not like you have to drink, blueberry," Mike said in a bubbly voice. "You're just dancing."

Puck pulled off her high heels. "Stop!" she screamed, kicking her feet, which only made it easier for them to boost her up onto the counter. "Stop!"

"COME ON, MINI ME!" Santana said, bumping her hip against Britney's. "DA-A-A-A-ANCE AVEC NOUS!"

Tina's brow furrowed. "Since when do you know Fr-r-r-r-rench-ch?"

"Our ma-a-a-aid is from Fra-a-a-a-ance!" she giggled, running a hand through her hair.

Mike and Matt gave one final shove and got her to stand up on the bar. "No, sing!" they commanded, pointing empty beer bottles at her like they were microphones. Rachel stayed completely still, petrified now that the whole party was standing and staring at her. Sure, she'd preformed for them before, but they were all sober then. Now they were all drunk. Maybe they wouldn't be as bad drunk. Then that thought crossed her mind, she loosened slightly. Okay, so singing Ke$ha wasn't exactly her expertise, but she knew the song, and she knew she had the voice. Santana and Britney were drunk, so, in the end, why not?

_Won't listen to any advice, mamma's telling me to think twice  
But left to my own devices I'm addicted its a crisis!  
My friends think I've gone crazy, my judgment is getting kinda hazy  
My status is gonna be affected if I keep it up like a love sick crackhead_

At this point, most, if not all, of the people in the crown were whooping and hollering. Rachel did her best to dance seductively. A combination of ballet and Mr. Schuster's choreography didn't really teach her how to dance in a sexy way, so, while half the school watched, Rachel ran her hands up and down her body, rolling her hips as well as shaking them.

_What you've got boy is hard to find  
Think about it all about it all the time  
I'm all strung up my heart is fried  
I just can't get you off my mind_

_Because your love, your love, your love, is my drug  
Your love, your love, your love  
I said your love, your love, your love, is my drug  
Your love, your love, your love_

Rachel looked down to see Puck cheering at her, the boys around him patting him in the back and saying something along the lines of, 'Congrats, man. Berry is one sexy woman.' With a smile, she squatted down, reaching her hand out to him. He took it, lacing his fingers with hers as they all cheered louder, applauding the fact that Rachel was pulling him up onto the bar just as Santana and Britney got down.

_I don't care what people say  
The rush is worth the price I pay  
I get so high when your with me  
But crash and crave you when you leave_

Puck smirked, grabbing her hips and holding her against his own body.

_Because your love, your love, your love is my drug  
Your love, your love, your love  
I said your love, your love, your love is my drug  
Your love, your love, your love_

_Your love, your love, your love, your love… Is my drug_

Then the song ended and Puck pulled her even tighter to him, smashing his lips to hers and the crowd blew up, clapping with their hands over their heads. Puck jumped off the counter and pointed to Rachel, displaying her as she took a dramatic bow before he reached up both of his hands, helping her down. Santana and Britney were instantly there, hugging her tightly.

"Oh, um, okay," she said, hugging them back. "I think I like you two better when you're intoxicated, but, okay."

The two of them giggled, hitting her arms playfully, then getting distracted and scampering off somewhere.

"Hello, everyone? How are you? It's a wonderful night, isn't it a great night? I feel so amazing. Let's play Twister. Naked Twister! New game! That would be cool, wouldn't it, Rachel? Then after, we can go down to the animal rescue and help take care of the animals there. Speaking of animals, I remember seeing a unicorn on the way over here. It was white with rainbows and butterflies on it, like two of the My Little Ponies combined, since they have pretty little girl things tattooed on their asses. It was awesome. And it was pooping sparkles, like, there was just a pile of sparkles under its butt, I swear to God, it was the coolest thing I'd ever seen in my life aside from that one time when me and my mom went to the zoo when I was ten or something and we saw two monkeys that were getting it on, which was weird but awesome at the same time except I don't really think I was supposed to think that it was cool because I was so little but it was awesome anyway and that was how I learned what sex was and how you do it except that's not exactly true since there was this one Sex-Ed thing at the community center that my mom made me go to when I was thirteen because she didn't want to have to explain it to me because she's a girl and I was a thirteen year old boy who actually knew a lot more than I was supposed to because I was friends with Puck and he knew everything because he had girls chasing him since, like, fourth grade except he never actually did anything with them until that one day in freshman year when Santana just took her top off in front of him and just asked him what he thought, which lead to other things, but while I'm saying this I don't really think that I should be because Puck is giving me this look like he wants to kill me and I just think saying that was a bad idea, which I think I've been getting a lot of lately and I find it annoying that none of you are talking to me and I'm trying to figure out why but I'm pretty sure it's because of the monkey story which wasn't really that wonderful but it was still a good experience." He took a deep breath. "So, what's up?"

They all stared at him with shocked looks, then Rachel leaned over to Quinn; the only other sober person around her. "I had no idea it was possible for someone to talk more than me," she whispered, pushing stray hair away from her face.

"Neither did I. Before we came over, he was rambling on and on about how he didn't understand how spoons worked and that ball point pens were the coolest things in the world."

"Because they _are,_" he whispered, bending down to their eye level. "Hello Quinn and Rachel! How are you?" He flipped himself so his back was arched and he was looking at them upside down.

Rachel smiled. "We're fine, Finn, how are you?"

"FAN-FLIPPING-TASTIC!" Quinn smacked her hand to her face. "I can't feel my nose, but other than that, I have never been better!"

The two girls looked at each other for a moment, their mouths open and eyes wide. "Wow," Rachel mouthed to Quinn, who nodded.

Rachel found something different between her and Quinn. It was only two days ago that Quinn had been calling her Man-Hands, dwarf, or something like that and now, she was staying close to her. She didn't know what was going on. Quinn hated her, detested her actually, and now it was like they had been friends all their lives.

"Have you seen Mercedes?" Quinn asked suddenly, looked at Rachel and toying with the bracelet on her wrist.

"The last time I saw her, she was dancing with Kurt, but then I introduced him to my friend." The blond sighed. "Here, you go look around the dance floor and I'll check around by the refreshments and upstairs."

Quinn gave her a sure nod then disappeared into the crowd. Without another word, Rachel slipped away from her drunk glee club members and went to check up on Kurt and Nate before finding Mercedes. They were sitting on chairs not far from the stairs, Kurt's legs crossed and his hands placed over his knees. As she walked past, she heard Nathaniel ask, "What's your favorite musical movie?"

Kurt answered, "Chicago."

"Wow, mine, too."

She smiled and as she began to walk up the stairs, she saw Kurt subtly give her a thumbs up. With a laugh, she continued up the steps. Rachel reached the hallway where she saw Mercedes standing there, texting something rapidly on her cell phone.

"Hey," Rachel said, advancing toward her. "What's up?"

Mercedes put her phone away, dramatically opening her fan, which was a stand in for her lack of a mask. "Matt just texted me. He asked me out."

Rachel's jaw dropped. "Did he really?" Mercedes showed her the message. Rachel read it aloud. "Taio Cruz concert Sat. Just us?" She made a face. "Sounds pretty professional for a drunk football player…" she said in an unsure voice.

"I _know,_" she said, giggling. "That's why I told him to ask me again when he's sober."

Suddenly, they heard shouting from the party room. "You guys! YOU GUYS!" The music and the crowd quieted as Mercedes and Rachel went to the top of the stairs. They saw Matt standing on a stool, holding his arms up as he quieted them, his cell phone clutched in his hand. "I got a text message!" They cheered. "Whoa, whoa! No happiness yet!" Rachel covered her mouth with her hand, while the other one was being held tightly by Mercedes. "Guys! Women! Men! EVERYONE! It's from Mercedes!" The two girls giggled. "Okay, time to read!" Everyone was silent as they waited. "PEOPLE! THIS IS BREAKING NEWS!"

"What's it say?" someone shouted.

Matt cleared his throat. "She said… 'Ask me when you are sober and not as drunk as my second cousin twice removed on a good day'! Guys! That's awesome!" They all started clapping. "Mercedes Jones, everyone!"

He pointed to the two girls and everyone turned to face them, the third time Rachel was under a blinding spot light that night. Mercedes fanned herself delicately with her fan and curtsied, waving like a queen. With a laugh, they both bounced down the stairs and went to the refreshments table, where an abundance of beer and other alcoholic drinks were sitting. Near the edge, Rachel spotted a bottle of unopened root beer. She poured both of them some then headed off to find Puck.

He was, unsurprisingly, still at the bar with everyone. "Ra-a-a-achel, come over here babe!" She did, standing between his knees wince he was sitting on a stool. "Quinn wants to take photograph of us, so tu-urn around."

She did so, resting her arms on his thighs as he wrapped his hands around her.

"Aw, give her a smooch!" Mike called, clapping his hands.

And so he did, turning her head and tilting her chin up, pressing his lips to hers just as the flash went off.

* * *

"Is everyone buckled?" Rachel asked, looking back at Santana, Britney and Mike, who were all crammed into the back seat of the Yaris.

"Yes!" they all slurred back, their heads rolling around on their necks.

She nodded, satisfied. "Good. Matt, are you sure you're comfortable?" Rachel heard a grunt, then looked at Mike. "What did he say?"

"He said, 'Yes'."

"LIES!" The two cheerleaders giggled. "Michael, you tell lies to innocent people and that will lead you to insanity or prison!" Mike guffawed, slapping his knees. "Truth is, Rachel, you trunk isn't as spacious as you made it out to be, but I can survive as long as you don't take any sharp turns or run into any giant, rabid gorillas."

Rachel's brow furrowed. "Matt, I didn't make it sound spacious. I didn't even make it sound big. I said I could fit a cooler in there, but that was it."

"I have the same body mass as a cooler! WE DID TESTS!"

Puck, who was comfortably lounging in the front seat, shook his head 'no.' "How big was the cooler?" she mumbled, turning to face forward. "Well, in any case, Matt, I will be careful on turns and everyone, keep your eyes peeled for giant and rabid gorillas." They all nodded. "Is that good, Matt?" She saw his thumbs up appear in the rear view mirror. "Alright, heading off."

They started to pull out of the parking lot, but when a Lexus S.U.V. crossed in front of her, she slammed on the breaks. "Gah! Rachel!" Puck snickered. "What did we just discuss?"

"I'm sorry," she said, looked at him in the rear view. "It was an accident."

Matt huffed. "Which was it, a sharp corner or the gorilla?"

She smiled. "It was actually a rogue Lexus."

"Well, then, tell them they need to watch it or I will unleash my fury and kill them with my fireball canon."

Rachel said nothing to that; she only pulled out of the parking lot and to Santana's house. "What street do you live on, Santana?" The Latina didn't answer, she only pointed in various directions until Rachel reached the colossal house that was sitting at the top of a huge hill. "…Wow…" Santana nodded her head slowly, grinning. "How do I get in?"

"There's an intercom by the gate," she responded, nodding lazily in the general direction of the wrought iron gate.

Rachel pulled toward it and pressed the button there, jumping when someone started speaking. "Yes? Yes, what is it?"

"Um, my name is Rachel Berry and I have Santana with me-"

Then Santana stuck her head forward so it was between Puck's and Rachel's. "Good morning, Mimi!" She nearly crawled over Rachel and stuck her head out the window, her feet dangerously close to kicking Puck in the face. "It is Santana, your loveable Latina and I have come a'calling!"

With a furious grunt, Puck removed her form the front seats, making her flop back onto Mike and Britney's laps with a giggle. "Mrs. Santana's Grandma? Could you open the gate, please? Your granddaughter is bugging the crap out of me."

There was an obnoxious buzzing then the gate started to slide to the right, allowing Rachel to drive through and to the front door.

"Okey-dokey, Fuckerman, get out," Santana said, hitting the back of his headrest until he climbed out of the front seat. After about fifteen minutes of Rachel telling him how to flip the seat forward, she was finally able to get out and turned back around. "Thanks for the ri-i-i-ide, blueberry." Rachel gave her a small smile. "Puck, I need to exchange words with you for a brief moment…"

"Okay," he said, following her up the walkway. "I will B.R.B, Rachel!"

The two of them got to her front door and she instantly grabbed his tie, pulling him down to eye-level. "Okay, listen close." He nodded. "I may not treat her like I should, but it doesn't mean I hate her. Blueberry's kind of alright, and that is coming for me, so do you know what that means?"

For some reason, Puck thought she was sounding more sober than she was at the gate only a few minutes ago. "Does it mean that if I break up with her I can use you for rebound sex?"

She stomped on his foot. "False. It means that if you break up with her, I will personally see to it that you suffer slowly and painfully. Blueberry is a nice person, nicer than I could ever dream of being and if you, in anyway, hurt her, I will kill you myself, capisce?"

He nodded again, terrified. "Understood."

Santana let go of him and turned to the car, waggling her fingers before bounding into the house and screaming, "Mimi! I am home!" and slamming the door.

* * *

After dropping off the other three, Rachel pulled into Puck's driveway, helping him out of the front seat. "You know, Rachel," he said as they slowly made their way to the front door, Puck's feet walking all over the place and falling over each other. "I don't remember being this stumbly a few minutes ago."

She rang the doorbell. "I'm sure." They waited for a new minutes then Puck started to ring the bell repeatedly until she had to pull his hand away. "Not now, Noah."

"Alliteration!" he screamed at the top of his lungs, ringing the doorbell again.

"I'm coming!" someone screeched—Rachel wasn't sure if it was his mother, Sarah, or Abbegail—and then the door flung open. Abbey was standing there with her hair in disarray, and her pajamas all wrinkled. "Oh, Jesus," she said, rubbing her hand over her face. "How plastered is he?"

Puck grinned. "Six beers, four tequila shots and half a bottle of Jack Daniels." Abbegail groaned when she heard her brother list of the drinks he's had that night. "I'm actually quite pro-o-o-o-oud of myself, Abbegail-a," he said, removing himself from Rachel's grip and stumbling into the living/dining room."

"It's funny how he can remember the drinks he's had but he doesn't remember getting here," Rachel said, taking her mask off and looping the elastic around her arm.

"You are so grounded," his litter sister said, walking over to him. "Come on, bed time."

He stepped away from her, tripping over nothing and falling flat on his face. "I'm an angel," he said, moving his arms and legs as if he were making a snow angel.

Abbegail turned to Rachel. "I suggest you come in and observe so you can know what to do in the future. As the girlfriend, it will become your job." Rachel nodded and watched as she got him on his feet with much effort and up the stairs. "So, all you really need to do is get him into his bed so he doesn't, like, wake up on the floor and he'll just fall asleep. Then, I'll make him coffee which he will eventually drink without even knowing it. It's really the coaxing to get him up the stairs that you need to watch out for."

"Ah, the coaxing." Abbey pushed him into his room and forced him to take his shoes off. "That is the most difficult part?"

His little sister nodded, taking the mask off his face. "Quite. He's stubborn when he's drunk. Hell, he's drunk when he's sober, but drunk is the greater of two evils." Abbey looked at Puck who was wobbling around on his spot on the bed, where he sat with his shoulders hunched over. "Noah, are you going to take your contacts out or are you going to sleep with them in?" He didn't respond. "Do _I _have to take them out?"

Puck gave her a small nod and then she flounced out of the room, washing her hands quickly before returning. "Okay, tilt your head back." He did so, letting her take his contacts out.

"I didn't know he wore contacts…" Rachel said, her face full of surprise.

Abbegail laughed once, putting his contacts into a little case. "He doesn't like to tell anyone. If he did, he would have to admit that he's not perfect in every way and it would also mean that people knew he wears glasses."

Rachel sighed. "What's wrong with wearing glasses?"

"That's what I keep telling him." Puck slowly crawled into bed and Abbey pulled the covers up to his chin. "I think I'm just going to steal his contacts so he _has _to wear his glasses to school, so if he shows up on Monday wearing his wayfarers, don't be alarmed."

She laughed. "Don't worry, I won't."

"I'm going to go make the coffee," Abbegail said, pointing to the door. "Do you want to come down?"

The brunette smiled. "Sure." They flicked off the light and closed the door before heading down to the kitchen. "So…" Rachel said, sitting at the kitchen table.

"So, about this afternoon…" she said, pouring water into the coffee maker and measuring out a certain amount of coffee grounds, "I just wanted to say I'm sorry… I didn't really give you an explanation and I just completely ignored, well, you, basically and I'm sorry."

Rachel gave her a small smile. "It's okay, Abbey, really." The small girl sat down across from Rachel and started at her, an eyebrow raised. Rachel thought she looked just like Puck there, an accusing and skeptical look. "Okay, it wasn't really completely okay. To be honest, it really scared me. I thought you were anorexic or bulimic or something and I got scared when you refused to tell Noah about it." Abbegail sighed, fiddling with her fingers. "I even contemplated telling him when we were out to lunch, but then I thought that it would break the trust we have together."

Abbegail's eyes lit up. "Trust?" she said hopefully, the faintest smile on her face.

"Yes, trust. Girl trust. I wouldn't really consider Noah to be a very trustworthy person when it comes to, well, being a girl." She put her hand over Abbey's. "If there's ever anything you need to talk about, I'll be right there. Anytime."

The young girl smiled. "Thank you," she whispered, turning her hand and squeezing Rachel's. They were silent for a moment. "Do… Do you think we could start now?"

With a smile from Rachel, they began to talk.

* * *

Somehow, the two girls ended up in the T.V. room, Rachel on one side of the 'L' shaped couch, and Abbegail on the other. They were lying so their heads were together and their bodies going in the direction of the side they were on as Rachel talked about her adventures that night. "And when we were heading to my car, Quinn grabbed my arm and said to me, 'Listen, dwarf. Whatever pleasant thing that happened between us today, it doesn't mean we're friends. We're far from. I don't need you as a friend and I don't want you as a friend. Never. Speak. Of. This. Again.'"

Abbegail laughed, covering her mouth. "I'm sorry, but that's kind of hilarious," she said, adjusting the pillow under her head. "I mean, I've heard about Quinn from Puck, but I didn't know she was so moody."

"Heard about her?"

Abbey froze, remembering that Rachel didn't know about the baby. Yeah, she knew it existed, but she knew nothing about how it belonged to Puck and not Finn. "Uh, about how she can be a bitch," she said, catching herself quickly. "He says she'll be completely normal one minute, then the next, she's lashing out at you like a tiger in a cage… I guess it's just because she's pregnant."

Rachel moved her head so she was looking at Abbegail. "You know she's pregnant?"

She snorted. "Please, I'm Puck's little sister, you name it, I know it."

"I didn't realize you two were so close."

"We're like two peas in a pod, Ol' Noah and I." Rachel laughed. "Yep. Have been since I was three years old. Did he tell you that when I was six I used to dress him up in girl's clothes and call him Josephina?"

"Because his middle name is Joseph," Rachel finished for her, smiling. "Yep, he told me. That day we had brunch here. You were asleep."

With a grin, Abbey said, "I'm aware." Rachel nodded. "What can I say? I don't go to school so I stay up late and sleep in late. It's how I roll." There was a silence between the two girls for a moment before Abbey spoke again. "You know… I think I have a picture of Puck in one of his girl outfits in my room somewhere."

Rachel sat up slightly and gave her a devilish smile, one that Abbegail returned easily. Instantly, the two girls flung themselves off the couch and bounded up the stairs to Abbey's room. The young girl started pulling out bins of old things from under her bed, handing Rachel show boxes to rifle through. She had things like old plastic toys, paper dolls, rogue Barbie shoes and other oddities, things that made Rachel smile at the thought her Abbegail not throwing them away. Box after box, they found nothing but old trinkets until finally, Abbey dropped what she had been looking through and tightly held a piece of stiff but wrinkled paper in her hands.

"I've got it."

Rachel froze, set aside her own box and scooted next to Abbegail, staring at the picture. That Puck had told her was true. Abbey did dress him up in girl's clothes and making him pretend to drink tea, but it was more than that. Puck was sitting at a little table and chair set up, plastic tea cups and such spread out on it. He was wearing a pink tutu and a metallic gold top, with red high heels and a wedding veil on his head. Multiple face jewelry necklaces hung around his neck as well as rings on every single one of his fingers. He was holding one of the tea cups, his pinky held out and his lips pursed as he prepared himself to dink. The shocking thing was, he was completely into the fact that, yes, he was wearing girl's clothes and, yes, he was pretending to drink tea with his pinky held out.

The room was completely silent as they stared mesmerized at the photo for a moment, and then they burst out laughing, clutching their stomachs and falling backwards. It went on like this for what seemed like hours until the door was pushed open and a figure loomed in the frame. They stopped, terrified looks on their faces as Puck entered, his eyes squinting from the light.

"What is this?" he groaned, rubbing his eyes.

Abbegail shoved the picture under the bed and folded her hands angelically. "Nothing, Puck. Just reading some of my old diary stuff and laughing at how ridiculously dramatic I was. I'm almost as bad as Rachel."

Ever the actress, Rachel nodded. "Yeah, it's honestly quite funny," she said, giving him a light smile.

"Then what was Abbey just shoving under the bed?" Puck accused, pointing near where Abbegail had put the picture. Walking over, he knelt down and shuffled for the picture. Surprisingly, Abbey didn't fight him, or even say anything as he revealed it, frowning. "Ah, I see…" She chewed her lip. "Remind me to yell at you for this later, when I do not completely want to murder both the creation of light and the sound waves."

"That might be a while," she said, looking at him as he stood up.

Puck shrugged. "Whatever, I'm still going to kill you for showing this to her."

"You'll end up in jail."

He nodded dumbly, his mouth hanging open slightly. "Good, good. And keep it the fuck down, I'm trying to sleep and the loud noises are giving me a migraine." Abbegail nodded, standing up and giving him a hug. He hugged her back, mumbling, "Yeah, I love you, too, or whatever," before he wandered back to his bedroom.

When the door was shut, they turned to each other, then began to laugh again.

**So, there you have it. Chapter seventeen, as well as more Breakfast. My dear Munchies, we're moving quite along, but I seem to not be getting many reviews! Where are my readers? It's making me sad! Have you all disappeared on me? Can we set a goal for 135? Maybe? **

**The masquerade outfits and masks will be up later today, as well as a layout of Puck's house, because some of you are asking that it looks like. :) Yes, I actually took about two hours to make a house lay out with tremendous detailing on Paint. Just for my Munchies. **

**You better review now. It took a freaking long time to make! **

**Alright, I'll let you go now! Bye! **


	18. HungOver Daydreams

**It's official, I love writing brother/sister relationships. :) Enjoy. Also, lots of fast pace through the first half. Just so you know. It's all rushed. I don't really like, it, but it just had to go up, okay? God. **

Chapter Nineteen: Hung-over Daydreams

Rachel and Abbegail sat in the Puckerman's kitchen. Rachel had stayed the night, borrowing a pair of Abbegail's pajamas and slept in the guest room. The two girls had stayed up until five o'clock in the morning and it was now two o'clock in the afternoon as they sat at the kitchen table munching on Lucky Charms. The picture of Puck as Josephina was sitting between them, propped up on the bowl of fruits.

"Did you know that today is Puck's birthday?" Abbey said suddenly, looking up from her bowl to stare at Rachel.

She shook her head. "You know, I actually did not know that."

"Surprising…" the teenager mumbled, spooning some of the cereal into her mouth. "He usually brags to the high heavens about it."

Rachel laughed, taking a sip of orange juice. "He doesn't like getting older, I suppose." The look on Abbegail's face said otherwise. "It doesn't matter. We just became official yesterday. I'm sure that he would have told me if we had been together before," she said, finishing her cereal and putting the bowl in the sink.

There was a silence between the two girls for a moment, than Abbey turned and looked at her. "Rachel, I want to tell you something." The brunette leaned against the counter, pushing some stray hairs from her messy bun out of her face. "It's about what you saw with me in the bathroom… What you saw."

"Abbegail, honestly, you don't have to explain a thing to me. It wasn't my business to talk about it or tell you what to do. What happens with you happens with you and you don't need to say a thing."

"Well, I want to say," she said stubbornly, standing up from her chair. "I can never tell anyone about this because Puck always says not to, but I want to tell you. You said I could trust you with anything because I didn't have, like, a girl around or whatever, so I… I want to tell you this. I want to!"

Rachel crossed her arms over her chest. "I did say that, did I?" Abbey nodded. "Alright, then, Abbegail." They sat down at the table again. "Talk to me."

The young girl nodded. "Okay… So, look, Rachel. I've been dealing with this… thing for a while, since I was, like, five. Long time. Anyway, they thought it was a lot of different things, but what it turned about to be was-"

There was a sudden stumbling, a thump, crash, then a pained moan. The two girls jumped in their seats, looking at the swinging door to the kitchen. "Oh, God," they heard Puck groan. "Ugh, that fucking hurt…"

With a snicker, the two of them rose from their seats and went to entry way by the front door. Puck was lying on the ground, his arms and legs spread out like a star and his face pressed into the rug.

"Those stairs are much steeper than I remember…"

"You, uh, fall there, Puck?" his little sister said, tapping her foot on the floor while her hands were planted firmly on her hips.

"Uh… Yeah."

She bent down and put one of his arms around her neck. "Alright, upsie-daisy." He mumbled something she didn't understand, but she figured it was something along the lines of protest since it took more than a few tries to get him off the ground. "Stop being such a lazy ass," she said, hitting him on the top of the head once before lugging him up one last time and getting him to his feet. "You are putting _such _a great impression on your little sister, Puck. God, I can't wait until I'm your age."

He groaned, running a hand over his face as Abbey carefully sat him down in one of the kitchen chairs. "Rules for today," he said, looking at his sister with bloodshot eyes. "No bright lights, no loud noises and no forcing me to drink coffee." Abbegail rolled her eyes, getting a bowl from the dish cabinet. Banging it loudly on the table, she smirked when Puck winced.

"Have some Lucky Charms." She poured him some and Rachel passed Puck the milk, laughing at the fact he still hadn't noticed she was there. "And _don't _pass out in it."

Puck shoveled a spoonful into his mouth, chewing slowly before swallowing. The three of them sat in silence for a moment before he snapped his head up and looked right at Rachel. "You're still here…" he said, tilting his head to the side in curiosity.

Rachel nodded. "Yes, I am, Noah."

"Well done." Puck glared at Abbey. "She spent the night, Puck."

"Why?"

They stared at him. "Because I invited her to," Abbey said in a logical voice. "Why else would she be here? It's not like she's going to stay so she can take care of a hung over and extremely obnoxious seventeen year old…" Puck made a face at her, spooning more cereal into his mouth. There was a silence. "Jeremy wants to go out tonight; I said yes…"

Puck dropped his spoon into the bowl, instantly regretting it when the noise rung in his ears and made his head ache. "What happened to you being grounded, Abbegail?" She shrugged. "I don't think so… With what happened last time, I'm not letting you two go out."

"What happened last time?" Rachel asked, sitting next to Puck and handing him a glass of iced water.

"We'll be out with his parents. We're going to dinner at The Half Moon… So, can't you trust me for one night?"

"What happened last time?" she asked again, tapping Puck's shoulder annoyingly. "Noah?"

He turned to her. "I caught them going at it in her little book nook."

"The book nook?" The siblings nodded. "What's the book nook?"

Puck pointed behind him then flicked his wrist, as if he were pointing behind the door frame and to the little door offset the dining room. Leaning back, Rachel looked at the little door, which was shut. "It's where she reads and whatever. She'll bring her lap top in there, or her iPod and speakers. She might as well have it be her bedroom, since she sleeps in there more than she does her own room." Abbegail made a face at him. "Why are you looking at me like that? It's not a bad thing, it's just true."

She waved it off. "Whatever, Puck. Can I go out with him and his _family _tonight?" Abbegail pouted her lip and gave him puppy dog eyes. "Please?"

He knew he couldn't resist. "Damn you and your pleading looks…" he said, heaving a sigh. "_Fine, _you can go. But, you better come home exactly the way you left, otherwise… You're… You're… Grounded for life, huh? How you like them apples?"

She grinned. "I like them very much, thank you."

* * *

Rachel and the Puckerman children stood in the entry way, all of them looking at each other. Rachel was back in her Halloween dress and shoes, the mask swinging lightly in her hands. Her makeup, which had been intense and dark, was now gone but if Puck looked hard enough, he could see traces of black eye shadow. It made him grin. She was rocking back and forth on her feet awkwardly from the high heels, but she managed and after a few minutes, she planted her feet on the rug firmly.

"Well, I'm going to go now," she said, reaching up to tighten her messy bun in some girl way that Puck didn't understand. Like, it was in a bun, how could you tighten it? Come on, seriously? But, whatever.

Abbegail stepped forward and hugged Rachel. "Okay, I'll see you later. You're coming over tonight to help me get ready, right?" The brunette nodded. "'Kay, bye!"

Puck puckered his lips slightly. "How exactly are you going to get home? You don't have a car, and I sure as hell am not driving you."

"Aren't you nice?" Abbegail said, whacking his bicep roughly. "Someone came and is waiting for her." There was a car horn that started to honk and the two girls smiled. "See?"

"Yes, yes, whatever…" He took Rachel's hand. "I'll, uh, walk you there."

She laced her fingers through his and smiled up at him. "Okay." They started walking out the door. "Bye, Abbey! See you later tonight!" Heading down the steps, she moved closer to Puck, smiling to herself when he let go of her hand, wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her tightly to him. They reached the silver Mercedes parked outside, he rolled his eyes when he saw Mercedes sitting inside.

"Of course she'd have this kind of car," he said jokingly, turning Rachel so she was facing him. She giggled at his comment and looked up at him, wrapped her arms around his middle as he did the same. "Listen, after I take about a thousand Advils and sleep for a few days, would you like to go out with me tonight? Like, an actual date where we get dressed in scandalous clothing and eat at, like, a restaurant with food and service and shit?"

A smile spread across Rachel's face. "You couldn't have said that in any more of a badass way?"

He scoffed. "Shut up. Asking someone on a date isn't something that should be done badass-like. You have to make it awkward or suave. I decided to make it awkwardly suave, so, shut up and say yes already."

"Sure. I'm sure Abbey will let me borrow some of her stuff." He nodded. "See you at five."

Then she pulled away from him and climbed into the car. When the door was shut, Mercedes rolled down the window. "Dude, just a side note, Matt wanted me to tell you that he has a bruise on the side of his head… Near his temple."

"What exactly from?" Puck said, resting his hands on the door and sticking his head in the window.

Mercedes shrugged. "Don't know. He said something like Farkle, but I don't know what the hell that is…"

Puck laughed. "It's like Rock Paper Scissors, but with bears, ninjas and hunters. Ninja beats hunter, hunter beats bear, bear beats ninja. Which is retarded because ninjas are the best and can't be beaten by anything, but whatever. We were playing last night and it got a little out of hand. I ended up hitting Matt in some ninjaly way…" The two girls looked at each other, then started laughing. "Oh, by the way, Mercedes, I love your Mercedes," he said with a smirk.

"Uh, duh. You know you're jealous of the Mercedes e class amg, Puckerman. Don't deny anything." Then she rolled up with window. "S'up girl?" Mercedes said, pulling out of the driveway and down the street. "How was your night at the Stud Muffin's?"

Rachel sighed, resting her head against the comfortable chair. "Great. It was more a night at Abbegail Puckerman's house, and not Noah's, but that doesn't matter. His sister's sweet." Mercedes nodded slowly. "And he asked me out on a date."

"Naturally. You two are dating now, so I'd only expect there would be actual, you know, dating…" Rachel smiled. "Then again, this is Puck we're talking about here… His idea of a date is doing someone in the janitor's closet by the main entrance to the school."

Rachel sat up. "You mean the one that has a Slushee stain on it?"

"Yep. Right across from the office."

"I know that closet. It's where I got my first ever Slushee facial."

Mercedes laughed. "Congratulations, Rachel. I'm so proud of you," she said in a parental voice, like a mother congratulating her daughter. "It's such an honor."

Rachel giggled. "Thank you. I'm quite pleased with myself as well." They were both quiet for a while. "Oh, what happened with Matt? Did he text you when he was sober?"

Mercedes tried to hide a smile. "Yes, he did. And he said the exact same thing." Rachel turned to her, waiting for more. "We're going to the concert as a first date, then to some all night diner after."

With a squeal, the two girls high fived as they hit an empty road, where Mercedes proceeded to tear down, the gas pedal pressed all the way to the floor.

* * *

Puck stood in the drive way until he saw Mercedes' Mercedes disappear. He was cold. Like, dude, it's freaking October in Lima, Ohio and he was standing there in a suit and bare feet. So, with ninja-like ability, he bolted back into the house, shutting the door before marching in place slightly, trying to warm his feet.

"Abs?" he called, rubbing his hands together quickly. "Where are you?"

"Nuh!" she groaned, her voice coming from the book nook. "What do you _want…_"

He rolled his eyes. "I just wanted to know where you were. God." There was silence. "Okay, well, I'm going to go take a shower, okay?" Still nothing. "Can you get me out in, like, ten minutes?"

He heard another groan that was along some lines of agreement and he nodded, trying to ignore the earsplitting buzz that was taking place in his brain. He slowly climbed the stairs, making sure to use the railing for support. He turned on the shower to let it warm before wandering to his room and took off his suit, tossing it onto the bed before wrapping a towel around his waist and heading back to the bathroom.

First thing he did was run a hand over his Mohawk, flattening it against this head when he was under the steaming water. Grabbing a bar of soap, he started rubbing it between his hands to get them bubbly before soaping up his arms.

While he was doing this, he couldn't help but think, _Man, my arms are so kick ass… _He flexed the muscles a few times, watching the soap flood off his tan skin. _I'm hot, _he thought, nodding satisfactorily with a pout on his lips.

Then, he thought about Rachel. The first time he'd seen her walk in to the ballroom at the Emerald Gardens, he'd never seen a more beautiful person in his life. The way her hair was, her makeup, her dress… Damn her dress. Sexiest thing ever. Except probably one of those little silk nightgown things. You know, the ones that are like lingerie, but different? And are worn just as night dresses. Even though they're not.

Puck was pretty sure Rachel had one. Everyone had one. He thought, if she had one, it would be white. Santana had a red one, other girls had green and blue, but he thought that Rachel's would be white. And not a lot of lace either. It wouldn't be overcome with it, just some lining the top and that was it. When she would wear it, her hear wouldn't be down, but it wouldn't be up either. Like she had it today, a messy bun or whatever, and there would be strands of hair that fell from it, around her face where her hair was shorter and not able to stay up. She wouldn't wear makeup or anything, just the night dress and her hair up like that.

He imagined that, when she wore it, she would glide around like she was made of air. Her steps wouldn't make a sound and she would climb onto her bed, leaning back on her hand. With her legs bend at the knees, she would have her ankles crossed and her feet tucked up near her. She would use her free hand to run her fingers delicately along the lace, around her collarbone and back to the lace. Occasionally, she would let her fingers wander up her neck and to her jawbone, but not all the time, maybe once or twice.

She would just do that over and over again, until she noticed you standing in her bedroom door. With a smile, she beacon you to her with her pointer finger, a seductive look in her eyes. As you came closer to her, on the edge of her, your torso over, your whole body over her, she would lean back into her pillows, her arms resting lightly above her head. Her lips would pout, but not in an unhappy way, in a teasing way, and she would reach her hand up and began trailing her finger over your collarbone and neck. Her touch is soft and it makes your close your eyes, letting out a sigh that you're happy she's close to you.

When you open your eyes again, her hand has moved from your neck to rest on your bicep. Your sexy-ass bicep. She's giving you a look. The look most girls give you when you have something they want. You smirk. You want to tease her like she did you, but her arms start to snake around your neck, pulling you closer to her. You close your eyes again, leaning down to her and then-

"Puck!" There was a loud banging on the door, making his ears ring. He jumped in his spot, startled at the sudden disruption. "You've been in the shower for, like, forty-five minutes!" Abbegail shouted, banging the door again. "What are you _doing_?" He brought his hand up and stared at the bar of soap in it, which how had four giant finger indents in it and a perfectly smooth side. "Hello? Are you dead?"

He tossed the soap onto the little shower rack. "No, I'm fine. I'm alive."

"Well, get out!"

"I will, in a second, okay!" He looked down and groaned in aggravation. "Jesus, I wasted a lot of water," he mumbled to himself. "But, I think I need to waste a little more."

And with a sigh, he reached for the water handle, and turned the water from hot to cold.

**Hahahahahahaha, I'm sorry, I had to. I felt it was only appropriate, since I was watching Never Been Kissed and I just love when Finn and Sam are talking in the bathtubs. It cracks me up. But, on a lighter note, isn't Sexy Rachel, well, sexy? **

**And WHO was nearly dying during Sunday's Glee episode. All the Puckleberry going on there? In the beginning with Need You Now and when the girls were being football players and Puck grabbed her helmet and was like, 'Are you ready for this?' I seriously think that Ryan Murphy secretly wants them to be together. Tell me who thinks so too! **

**Review, review, review, my dears! It's been a while since I updated hasn't it? There's a reason. Let's make it 150. :) (Less than and 3 because Fanfiction won't keep them threre) **


	19. Mature Decisions

**I HAVE RETURNED! AND I COME WITH A CHAPTER! MUAHAHAHAHAHAHAH! Aren't I just adorably evil? **

Chapter Nineteen: Mature Decisions

Quinn woke up on Saturday morning in Finn's bedroom. The first thing she saw was the cowboy wallpaper surrounding her and it made her want to cry. She didn't know why it made her want to cry, but it did. The immaturity of it all—a seventeen year old boy, one who she chose to father her child, no less, with cowboy wallpaper, not something that she wanted to have greet her every morning. The cowboys riding on horses, they made her want to grow-up right then and there.

And fast.

She sat up, stretching her arms and legs before pushing the bed covers back and getting up. Quinn could smell pancakes and she wandered to the kitchen to find Finn's mother at the stove, flipping the cakes and pushing bacon around a pan.

"Good morning, Quinn," she said without turning around. "I hope you're hungry."

Quinn's stomach growled. "Oh, yeah, definitely."

Ms. Hudson waved her spatula at the pile of pancakes and bacon. "Well, help yourself. There are also eggs in the microwave." The teenager grabbed a plate from the cabinet and dished herself some food, sitting at the kitchen table before digging in.

"Where's Finn?" she asked around a strip of bacon, pouring half a bottle of syrup on her pile of pancakes.

Carol snorted. "Sweetie, it's Saturday morning. He won't be up until long after I'm gone at work."

Quinn noticed that she was dressed in nice clothes; a skirt and collared shirt with black nylons and high heels. Then she looked down at her pancakes and sighed. "Have you eaten yet, Mrs. Hudson?"

"No, I usually have some fruit on the way to the office. I don't usually have time to eat at home."

Quinn stood up from the table. "I'll finish cooking. You sit down and eat some actual food."

"Oh, no, Quinn. I'm fine. You enjoy your breakfast. I'm used to eating the fruit and-"

But Quinn had already snatched the spatula from Finn's mom and lightly shooed her away. She started flipping the pancakes and pushing the bacon around in the other pan.

"Please, Mrs. Hudson, eat something real. Please," Quinn said, handing her a plate with the food she was cooking.

Finn's mom stood there for a moment, but then sat down at the kitchen table and began to eat, eying the young girl at the stove. "Quinn, sweetie, can I ask you a serious question?"

"Sure," the teen said, pouring more batter into the pan.

Carol was quiet for a moment. "...What are you going to do with the baby?" Quinn stopped, the spatula wedged under a pancake. "Are you going to keep it or are you going to give it up for adoption?"

Turning away from the stove, Quinn crossed her arms over her chest. "I hadn't really thought about it... I mean, I don't want to sound like a lazy teen, but I figure I've got plenty of time to think about it."

Mrs. Hudson nodded. "I suppose you do have some time, but if you're going to keep it, you need to decide soon. We would need to get the things a baby would need." Quinn nodded as Carol pushed her empty plate away. "You really should think about it."

The two women walked to the front door and Finn's mother pulled on her coat. "Why don't you just take the day to decide what you want do to. We don't want to rush into things, but we don't want to be too late in our choices."

"I will."

Mrs. Hudson hugged her tightly. "But, really... really think about it. It's the most important thing you could ever try to think about. Make sure you do exactly what's right for you."

"That's exactly the same thing that Puck-"

She stopped.

"'Exactly what Puck' what, dear?" Finn's mom said absentmindedly, as she tied a scarf around her neck.

Quinn shook her head, clearing it. "Oh, nothing." Carol smiled. "Well, I promise that I will think about it. With all my mind and power."

"Good," she said, quickly hugging her again. "Well, I have to get off to work. There's some cut up chicken from last night's dinner in the fridge, feel free to make sandwiches with that for lunch and there's some soup on the bottom shelf in the big pot. Help yourself to whatever." Quinn nodded, pushing the information to the back of her mind. "I'll see you later, sweetie, okay?" The blonde nodded. "Alright, bye."

Then she rushed out the door and to the little station wagon that was sitting next to Quinn's little punch buggy.

When Quinn shut the door, she turned around and saw Finn sprawled out on the couch in the living room, his right let over the back, with his left arm and head hanging off the side, his other arm crossed over his chest and tucked under his chin. She giggled, walking over to him and fixing the fleece blanket that was falling off him. He shifted slightly, his eyes barely opening as he looked at her, instantly falling back asleep, his eyes fluttering closed.

Quinn paused, looking at her boyfriend for a long time. He was boyish looking, with features that seemed to be almost undeveloped, as it he hadn't gone through the transformation from boy to man. But, she thought he was the kindest person in the world for sticking by her when he found out she was pregnant. Not even for one moment did he hesitate on whether or not he would stay with her and he always made sure that she was at least content.

But, the baby wasn't his. Puck was the father, and there was no denying that she had thought about him being the dad. When he had asked her about going to her baby doctor's appointment she had spent the next three hours think about it.

He was questionable character, always getting into some sort of trouble. He had done it with many girls in the school and carelessly gone about his way when he was done. He never gave one of them a second thought after he was through with them, except for Santana, but she was the exception because she was, well, Santana. He didn't look back and she didn't want that to happen to her. At the moment, this baby was the most important thing in the world to her and she didn't want to choose Puck, only to have him leave her alone when she needed him most.

She knew that Finn wouldn't do that. He was sweet and caring, the kind of boy that every girl dreams of dating. No matter what, he would always be there for her, and he would always love and care for her. Finn would never leave her as lone as things were going his way, but that was one of two down sides about Finn. His immaturity was the other. Half the time, she thought he acted like a ten year old boy. Clueless most of the time and throwing temper tantrums the rest of the time. She knew that even though he would to anything to make sure she was happy an that he was taking care of her, he wouldn't grow up when the baby arrived.

She wasn't saying that Puck was more mature than he was, which he wasn't, but he had more potential of taking care of her baby. She knew that he took care of his sister most of his live starting from day one when he turned seven. Of course, it was a challenge for him. He struggled most of the time and she remembered countless days where Puck would end up over at her house and they would play together while her mother watched Abbegail.

And she knew that Puck was good on the inside. Not even for one second did she believe that bad-boy image he hand going for him. He kept up a good job with it, throwing people into Dumpsters and tossing Slushees at them, but with what she knew about him, his family and his sister, she knew that there was more than meets the eye with him.

She didn't want to hurt Finn, and there was a for sure chance she would if she decided to let Puck be that father instead of him, but she was torn between the two.

Breaking out of her train of thought, Quinn found herself back in the kitchen, her plate of pancakes and bacon completely gone. With a sigh, she pushed away the dish, leaning back in her chair to continue her thinking.

Finn or Puck. Puck or Finn.

One would take care of her all the time but wouldn't have any clue as to how to do it, and the other would be guaranteed to know what he was doing, but with a chance of laving her whenever he felt need be.

Quinn didn't know which one would be better in the long run, like a few years, but she knew which was the best decision right now.

So, with another sigh, Quinn made her choice.

**Well, I do declare, that Double Syrup is making a big spill in the kitchen, isn't she? Yes, Pancakes and Flapjacks are at a slight competition, since they're the exact same thing, except one it just a little bit better than the other. So, which one gets the Syrup? **


	20. Serenading and Rule Breaking

**It's coming quick because when in Nicaragua, I had some time to write. And now I have time to type and update. Hope you guys enjoy. This is a long one. :) **

Chapter Twenty: Serenading and Rule Breaking

"Do you know what you're going to wear?" Kurt said as he sat on Rachel's bed, sipping at the hot chocolate she's just made. "I mean, this is you first major date. You two going out to BreadstiX doesn't count. Everyone goes to BreadstiX. This outfit has to represent."

Rachel giggled. "I don't know. I'm going over to his house early to help his little sister get ready for her date that she's going on. I'm sure she'll help me."

Kurt made a sad face. "Oh, I see. I wanted to help you get ready. You're my new Barbie now,, since you've got a boyfriend and all. It creates perfect opportunities for me to work my magic, since you're kind of a train wreck."

"I am not a train wreck!" she said, hitting him lightly. "I'll have you know that I'm quite fashionable."

"For someone from the seventies. I'm telling you, Rachel. You better just let me and Mercedes dress you from now on. It'll be way easier for you. Maybe you won't get as many Slushee facials."

Rachel snorted. "Yeah, maybe." Kurt took her hand in his. "But, I suppose I can mace a few wardrobe adjustments. If it'll make you and Mercedes happy."

He nodded defiantly. "It will indeed, my beautiful diva." Rachel smiled at him warmly. "So, how does it feel to be the girlfriend of the school stud?"

Rachel leaned back in her mountain of pillows, putting her mug on her nightstand. "It feels different," she said with uncertainty. "Of course I like it—anyone would—and I do have feelings that are more than a 'little school girl crush'-" Rachel bent her fingers in the air like quotations "-but, who knows how long this will last? We are talking and dealing with Noah Puckerman, after all. He could decide that he's all of a sudden bored and doesn't want to be involved anymore."

"I understand, but you do have to remember that he's taking you out to dinner at one of the fanciest places in town, he's being a sweetheart—something he never does to _anyone—_and you know it's true, _not _to mention the fact that he kissed you in front of the entire school with no complaint, _just _because he wanted to." Rachel nodded slowly. "Now, I'm not saying that he's become an angel, because he probably hasn't, but I'm more than one hundred percent positive that he has feelings for you that are much more than 'I want to have sex with you' emotions."

"Well, I definitely know that." She fiddled with the ends of her hair. "I just don't want it to be something that It's not. I don't want to rush into it or make it something it isn't."

There was a silence between the two of them and it was unsaid but known that that was the end of their conversation. Then suddenly, Kurt said up, his eyes wide. "What do you _mean _you're quite fashionable?"

Rachel looked at him for a moment, a shocked look on her face, but then, she began to laugh.

* * *

"...What is it?"

Abbegail let her arms drop. "It's called a tie, Puck. You wear them with suits." He made a face. "You were wearing one yesterday. You know what these are."

"Yeah, but yesterday it was all suave and stuff because the colors were opposite of what they were supposed to be. This is just weird."

They were silent and the siblings stared at each other before Abbegail threw the tie at him. "Just put it on, you crap. If Rachel is anything like you described her, she should be here in approximately three minutes and I want you to be out of my room and our way. But, I don't trust you to dress yourself, so, the tie goes on."

With a reluctant face, Puck turned up his collar and slipped the already done tie over his neck, adjusting it before flipping his collar back down. "You know, being a bossy cow is quite unflattering in a woman."

"Well, you're not the one who has to dress her seventeen year old brother everyday."

He made a face at her. "My tie is blue."

"So?"

"Well, my shirt's blue. Shouldn't the tie be a different color?"

Abbegail looked at her brother as she leaned against the wall next to her mirror. "No, because your shirt is a faint blue while the tie is a medium color and you _shouldn't _be worrying about it, since you're a guy and those things don't matter to you, so, just wear it and don't say anything."

For the thousandth time that day, he made a face. "Fine," he snapped and she smiled at him, satisfied. "You're really annoying."

"I know. But you live me anyway, so it doesn't matter." The clock on Puck's night table turned from 4:59 to 5:00 and right when it did, the front door bell rang. "Right on time," she said in a bright tone. "Don't get in our way. Think of this like a wedding and you're not allowed to look at your bride until she's beautiful and ready, understood?" He saluted her. "Don't sass me. I can take you to the carpet and you know I'm not afraid to. Stay here until I come get you, then you have permission to move freely around the house except my room."

He was about to respond, but she skipped out of his room, singing _Come What May _as she bounced down the stairs.

From the other side of the door, Rachel could hear the young teen singing a song from one of her favorite musical moves. So, she decided to join in.

_Suddenly the word seems such a perfect place. _

_Suddenly it moves with such a perfect grace. _

They began singing loudly to each other through the door, their voices harmonizing as Abbegail took the male part and Rachel belted out the female.

_Suddenly my life doesn't seem such a waste. _

Quietly, Rachel sang-

_It all revolves around you. _

Abbegail then flung open the door, her arms held out dramatically to Rachel, who was doing the same.

_And there's no mountain too high, no river too wide_

_Sing out this song and I'll be there By your side_

_Storm clouds may gather and stars may collide_

_But I love you, until the end of time _

Falling into a fit of giggles, the girls hugged, holding onto each other for support. "And this is why you're amazing," Abbey said with a grin on her face as they walked up the stairs to her room. "Puck would never randomly break into song with me."

"That's a _lie,_ Abbegail, and you know it!" he called form his room, poking his head out. "You're such a mean person." He looked at Rachel. "Hey."

She smiled. "Hello, Noah."

"C'mere," he said, nodding his head towards himself. Rachel did as told, receiving a soft kiss from him. "Okay, now you can go. That's really all I wanted from you."

Rachel looked at him with one raised eyebrow. "Oh, is that so?" Puck nodded his head slowly. "Fine, Noah. If that's all you _really _wanted." She then flounced over to Abbegail, linking their arms together. "Come, Abbey. That's all Noah wanted."

They marched into Abbegail's room, slamming the door defiantly. Abbey turned to Rachel. "Music?"

"Please."

The young teen went over to her computer and opened iTunes, selecting her playlist of musicals and pressing the space bar, a random song beginning to play. They began to laugh when it was _Come What May _and Rachel looked at her newly found friend. "You and Noah are so different. He seems to hate musicals and musical movies."

Abbey sat down on her bed. "He's lying." She ran a hand through her light brown hair. "His top twenty five listened to songs are more than half from musicals. And he's obsessed with _Wicked. _We've seen it, like, twenty times."

"Oh, really?"

"Yep! We even had to drive about sixteen hours to Boston so we could get to Boston just so we could see these two actors that he really, really likes." Rachel's mouth cured up into a slight smirk. "He's kind of a little bit feminine." They giggled. "But, you don't need to worry. These are just more things you have in common."

"Surprisingly. I never thought that he and I would never have anything in common. Seems to not be the case."

Abbegail blew a bubble with the gum she was chewing. "Mm. He also really like _Chicago._"

"Well, that one's not really a surprise to me. It's all about murder, sex and lingerie. The three things a teenage boy is engrossed by. The only think that it's missing is candy." Abbey nodded. "But, _Wicked, _really? I remember when I first started having to deal with him, I offered to sing _As Long As You're Mine _for our duet and he said no."

"He would. Puck's favorite song is _For Good. _Then _Dancing Through Life _and _Defying Gravity._"

Rachel Grinned. "Not _Popular?" _

Abbey snapped her fingers and pointed at Rachel. "That too!" There was more giggling. "We should start to get ready. With matching things, make-up and hair, it's going to take a long time to get this all straightened out."

* * *

A half hour later, both girls were showered and clad in their undergarments, shuffling through Abbegail's small closet that must have contained about fifty dresses, in search of something to wear.

They had dress upon dress that they could choose from, making it much more difficult to find one you wanted.

"Just close your eyes and grab one," she said to Rachel, covering her eyes and reaching her hand out, grasping onto a dress that had a white skirt and a black top, both of them covered in black lace. "Cute." She looked to Rachel. "Your turn."

Rachel did the same, grabbing one that was blue with a black belt attached to it. "I was thinking about this one."

"Your hand made a good choice. I've never worn that one, so you can have it if you want."

She looked down at it. "Are you serious?" Abbey nodded. "Wow... Thank you. That's very sweet."

There was a knock on the door. Without a second though, Rachel went over and opened it. Puck was standing there in a sweatshirt over his normal shirt and tie, his hands comfortably resting on the frost pockets. He did a weird double take when he saw Rachel standing in the door way in just er undergarments, a towel wrapped around her hair.

"Oh, uh, sorry," he said, looking away as she suddenly realized what she was wearing, and what she wasn't, and grabbed an extra towel to wrap around her body. "Can I look now?"

She tucked in a corner. "Yes, you can look." She felt her ears get hot as he looked back, giving her a soft smile. "Is there something you wanted?"

"My sister, please." Abbey popped next to Rachel, not in a strapless bra, since her dress didn't have straps. "Not that I was listening to your conversation—I just happened to over hear as I was going down stairs—but you know that Mom is going to kill you for whatever dress you're letting my girlfriend keep."

Abbey shifted her weight to her other foot. "It's the one Gammie bought for me. The one that was too small but Mom didn't want to get rid of it, since it was so nice."

He nodded slowly. "Oh. Well, then never mind."

Then he turned on his heel and marched away, down the hallway and to his bedroom where his TV was showing a football game.

"Weirdo," Abbey said, shutting the door as Rachel tossed the towel aside and slipped on the dress. "Hey, you need help." Rachel turned and Abbey zipped it up, hitting Rachel's shoulders a few times. "I hate you; you're a smaller size than me."

"Sorry." There's nothing I can do about that." Abbey smiled. "It's all the ballet my dear."

"I do ballet, too." When Rachel didn't respond, Abbey waved it off. "You're still a smaller size." She stepped into her dress. "Can you zip this, since I was so nice to do up your dress for you?"

Rachel rolled her eyes but did zip up the dress, surprised when she saw the red rash she's so easily forgotten about. It was a dark redish-blue color, like a bruise that liked her spine, right where her bones were growing and it scared Rachel. She'd never seen anything like it before, but she didn't want to ask about it. She was afraid of the answer.

"What are you going to do with your hair?" Abbey suddenly said, turning around to face Rachel. "I think you should wear it up. Like, a curled ponytail."

"I'm sorry?" Rachel asked, confused.

Abbegail grabbed her hand. "Come with me." The two girls headed out of her bedroom and to the bathroom that Abbey and Puck shared. "Give me a second." She disappeared for a moment then came back with a chair that she set in the middle of the floor. "Sit," she said as she began to rummage around in the cabinet below the sink.

Rachel did so, crossing her legs at the knees as she waited for Abbey to finish her rummaging. She stood back up with a curling iron, which she proceeded to plug in. "You're going to curl my hair? But, it's already curly."

"Not curly enough. Take your hair out of the towel." Without waiting, Abbegail pulled the towel off Rachel's head and instantly started running a brush through it. "I'm just going to add a little more bounce to it." Rachel nodded softly so she wouldn't pull her hair and then she felt Abbegail start to gather it in her hands, making a high ponytail hear the top of her head.

Within twenty minutes, Abbey had it in tight but big curls that bounced whenever Rachel moved her head.

"Then a touch of hairspray... And you're done. With the hair anyway."

"The make-up I can do myself, thank you. I'm just going to need your make-up collection of eyeshadow and mascara."

Abbey nodded. "It can be come." They left the bathroom and marched the short distance back to her room, closing the door again quickly.

"Why is it again that you don't want Noah to see me?" Rachel asked, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Because, I'm working my magic. Plus, I want him to be blown away when he sees you." Rachel nodded slowly. "You know what you need?" she said, leaning against her desk. Rachel twiddled her fingers. "Shoes. My mom has this great pair of shoes that would go perfect with that dress. But I think she's at work."

Right at that moment, there was the sound of the front door opening and closing then someone called out, "Hello?"

"Hi!" Puck and Abbey called back at the same time, Abbegail leaving her bedroom to stand at the top of the stairs.

"Hey, sweetie," Mrs. Puckerman said, walking up to her and kissing Abbey's temple. "Oh, Rachel! What a wonderful surprise! Nice to see you."

Rachel smiled. "Nice to see you, too, Mrs. Puckerman."

"Sarah, please." She let out her ponytail, taking off her scrub shirt from the hospital and adjusting her tank top. "You both look lovely. What are you up to?"

Abbegail pushed her long hair over her shoulder. "We have dates."

"Ooh, how exciting." The two girls grinned. "Anything I can help with? I see that Rachel is without shoes."

"That's exactly what we were going to ask... You know your shoes with half a gold heel? Could she borrow those? And I was wondering if you could do my hair like you did at my bat mitzvah."

Sarah nodded, going to her room. "Absolutely. Follow me girls. I know exactly which shoes Ms. Berry needs."

They all filed into her bedroom, Sarah crossing it to her closet and coming back with a pair of high heels that went up to your ankle, like ankle boots, but had open toes and straps that were all connected together and crisscrossing every which way.

"For you," she said, handing them to Rachel. "And as for you, my girl, you need to sit. Why don't you get me that chair you left in the middle of the bathroom and place it right in front of my mirror here, where it's supposed to be?"

With a laugh, Abbey got the chair and sat down in it as her mother began to pull and twist her hair. Rachel plopped herself down on the edge of the bed, slipping her feet into the shoes, wondering how it was that she was exactly the same size as both Sarah and Abbegail Puckerman.

"How do they fit, Rach?" Abbey asked, looking at her though the mirror.

Rachel stood up. "Perfectly." The Puckerman women nodded. "I'm going to go do my make-up. Abbey, where do you keep your stuff?"

"On top of my dresser, next to the little blue bottle of perfume. You can use some of that too, if you want."

Rachel nodded, walking out of the room and to Abbegail's for the tenth time that night. She slipped into a bathrobe before discreetly scuttling down the hallway and to Puck's room. He was sprawled out on his bed, his eyes glued to the TV on the wall opposite him.

"Hey," she said quietly, walking over to him and sitting on the edge of the bed.

He looked at her, grinning. "Hi." He patted the spot next to him, allowing her to snuggle close, his arm wrapped around her shoulder blades. Rachel hugged him close to her, an arm laid across his stomach as she rested her head on his chest.

"Aren't you supposed to not be seen by me or Abbegail will gouge my eyes out with a spoon?" he said, looking down at her as he fiddled with her fingers.

Rachel looked up at him. "Is _that_ what she said?" He brought his head down, mumbling a 'Mm-hm' against her lips. "Well, I guess that is what she said, maybe not to that extent, but she did say that she didn't want you to see me, but it kind of went out the window. Plus, all you're seeing are my shoes and hair."

"Well, I sort of know what you're dress looks like, but not really. I don't memorize my sister's dresses, but the one she's talking about is a little more well known than the others." He smiled at her, taking a deep breath in. "You smell like hairspray."

"Yeah, that's what happens when someone's little sister sprays half the can onto your head." Puck grinned. "But, at least is has some other scent to it."

He nodded. "True facts." The two of them were silent for a moment, then Puck tilted his head awkwardly to look at her. "Do you want me to change the channel or something. I'm sure you don't want to watch football."

She shook her head. "No, this is fine. I've recently had a thing for football..."

After a moment of looking at her, Puck grinned. The smile didn't last long though, because Abbegail suddenly popped up in the doorway, her hair pulled up elaborately. "Rachel! What on Earth are you doing in here! You guys know the rules!"

Instantly, Rachel shot from the bed, straightening the bathrobe she was wearing. "Sorry, Abbegail," she said, pretending to avoid eye contact as she brushed past the thirteen year old and to her bedroom.

Abbey glared at her brother for a moment, then pointed to her eyes with her pointer and middle finger, then to him with the same fingers. "You broke the rules... I'm watching you, dude."

He waved her off, then noticed the dress she was wearing. "Are you going to wear something to cover your shoulders?" Puck asked quietly, as if he wasn't trying to make sure she would wear something over, but he wanted her to.

Abbegail looked down at herself, holding the skirt out at her sides. "Yeah. I have something that I can wear. Don't worry."

Puck held up his hands in a surrender. "I'm not doing anything."

She gave him a small smile then walked away, her high heels clicking on the wood in both Puck's and her bedrooms. She shut her door, instantly going to her closet and getting a small lace jacket that only covered the exposed skin on her back as well as a little bit of the dress, her shoulders covered as well. Rachel didn't say anything to her as she swept the blue eye shadow over her eyelids. The look on the young girl's face said she didn't want to talk about the little jacket she'd just put on.

There was a silence in the room, a word hushed that hung in the small room. They both stood still in their spots, looking at each other as an unspoken dialogue was passed between them. Abbey didn't want to tell her why she was sad. Rachel didn't want to know, because she wouldn't be able to do anything about it.

So, after a moment, Abbegail smiled broadly at Rachel, even though it was fake, and then went over to her, adding a slight yellow green color to her eyes, along with the blue. "Mascara?" she said, handing it to Rachel.

"Why, yes, thank you." Rachel put on the mascara then applied lip gloss, smiling to herself in the little mirror on the bureau when she was finished. "What do you think?"

Abbegail looked at her for a moment, chewing on her bottom lip. "It's good. You look really pretty."

"Thanks." Abbey gave her a nod that said, 'You're welcome,' then went into her jewelry box, producing a pair of black and gold earrings and bracelets, handing them to Rachel. "These are gorgeous," she said, her tone at a slight loss for air as she looked at the beautiful jewelry Abbegail had given her.

As she slipped on the earrings, Abbey began doing her make-up, dabbing on black eye shadow with her finger, smoothing it out when she finished. She left her lips bare, since they were already naturally a dark color, then put on the mascara just as Puck called, "Abbey! There's a car in the driveway and Justin is coming up the walkway!"

"Jeremy!" she screamed back, opening her door and walking out, with Rachel in toe.

Puck was standing at the bottom of the stairs, opening the door just as Abbey started to descend the steps. Jeremy was wearing a suit, casual-ish, but still a suit, and he smiled when he saw her. "Hey," he said, kissing her lightly on the lips when she reached him.

"Hi." Rachel watched from the top of the stairs as Abbey, Jeremy and Puck talked, Puck giving his sister a hug and kiss on the cheek before saying, 'Be careful,' and letting her leave the house, her boyfriend leading her to the car. She could hear Abbey saying "Hello, Mr. and Mrs. Barton!" in a really loud voice when they reached the Volvo that was parked in the driveway.

She giggled a little bit at her enthusiasm and when Puck heard her, he turned around and looked up. Rachel started to slowly descend the stairs, her hand gliding down the railing as she let it rest there softly. His mouth opened slightly in awe when he saw her, like it had when she entered the ballroom of the Emerald Gardens only the night before.

She stepped onto the floor and looked up at him, smiling lightly and he took her hand in his. "You look really... Pretty."

Rachel smiled wider. "Thank you." She fixed his tie quickly. "You look dashing your self. I like the blue on blue combination."

"We have Abbey to thank for that one." He put his hand on her waist. "Ready to go?" She nodded. "It's unnaturally warm out, so you don't need a coat or anything."

"Good, because I don't have one. I came here wearing a sweatshirt, and I don't think that's appropriate to wear to a gray sweatshirt with Harvard written across it to a restaurant." Puck laughed once, looking over his shoulder at his mom, who was sitting in the TV room watching a movie.

"A'ight, Mom, we're going to leave, okay?"

She looked at them over the back of the couch. "Yeah, have fun, you two. Don't do anything stupid."

Puck smirked. "Don't worry, we won't."

**Um... So... Yeah. Review, please? Because pancakes with raspberries are deliciously adorable? **


	21. Rain in My Best Dress

**I'm getting excited. **

Chapter Twenty-One: Rain in My Best Dress

"So, do you know where we're going, or are you completely clueless?" Rachel arched an eyebrow at him. "Well, I'm only asking. I'm not saying you're completely clueless all the time," he said defensively, looking at her with a smirk.

Rachel relaxed her face. "I am completely clueless," she said, smoothing her dress over her knees for the thousandth time in the five minute car ride they had started. "But, I would like to know ahead of time..."

Puck shook his head. "Sorry, no can do. If you don't know then I'm sure as hell not telling you anything. You'll have to figure it out for yourself."

"Well, that's irrational." He looked at her with a smirk on his face that showed all signs of him not caring if he was being irrational or not. "You're annoying."

"I'm aware." She rolled her eyes, her hands gripping the arm rests to her seat in annoyance. After a moment, Puck reached over and took her hand, holding it tightly in his for a while. "We're going to Alexandria's." Rachel froze. "But, I don't want to hear any shit from you about how it's really expensive and we shouldn't be going there because there are perfectly nice restaurants other places."

She looked at him. "I wouldn't say that..." she said defensively, crossing her arms over her chest stubbornly.

He nodded. "Yeah, you would. I know you. You'd say that."

"You don't know anything about me." Puck frowned. "Well, you don't."

They pulled into the parking lot and climbed out of the car, linking their fingers together as they headed to the front door. "I totally know you, Berry." The host at the door looked at him, mindlessly tapping on the computer in front of him. "Puckerman," Puck said, giving the guy a nod when he grabbed to menus and started walking through the restaurant until they reached a table placed in the center of the room, a table set for two.

"This restaurant is really nice," Rachel said quietly, smiling at the host when he pulled out her chair for her and allowed her to sit.

"Best in Ohio," he said, placing the menu in front of her. "Your server will be right with you."

She smiled at him again and Puck said, "Thank you," before looking back to Rachel. "I so know you."

"Oh, really?" He nodded proudly. "Prove it, oh-omniscient-one."

"Challenge accepted." As he was looking over the menu for something to drink, he started listing off characteristics about her. "I know that you like sweaters. Particularly ones with animals or cute little pictures on them, like trees or butterflies. I'm pretty sure you have one with a bow on it, but I'm not sure. You're also a fan of short skirts. Even though most of them are heinously awful, they still make your legs show, which you know makes everyone go crazy, because they are one of your insane features. I hear their iced tea is phenomenal."

Rachel bit her lip. "That's not true..."

"Yeah, it is... Mike was here a while ago and said that it was the best he'd ever had..."

"No, I mean about me liking short skirts."

Puck looked up at her. "Oh... Well, it is true. I know that you see the way some of the guys look at your legs when you walk by. They may not care for your personality, but your legs are killer." Rachel cheeks got hot and Puck smirked at the faint pink color they had acquired. "And even though you are obnoxious and rude and completely full of yourself, you still like to talk to people. On the rare occasion where you shut up, what you like to do is listen to people talk about their lives and what not, because you find it interesting, even if it has absolutely nothing to do with show choir." She gave him a small nod, closing her menu. "I might just get water..." he said to himself, still scanning the menu. "And you also like art. Not so much the subject _of _art, but of doing art. I noticed a few paintings around your house... You do mostly landscapes and color blending and such, since you're not really good with doing pictures. You also like splatter painting. I'm sure that you have a little art studio somewhere in your house and what you love to do is just turn your iPod up as loud as it will go, then just start throwing paint around. You may not even go for the canvas, just the wall or a chair or something, but either way, you still love it because not only is it a way to express yourself, it's also a great way go get your anger out without having to do anything destructive or harmful to other people..."

He stopped for a moment, looking at her with an amused smile. Rachel's face was frozen in shock, her eyes wide and her mouth open slightly. "You also hate being a know it all. You may know, well, everything about everyone and all things in the world, but you hate that fact. You feel like it's almost as if you have Tourette's syndrome for information. And bragging. You may act like you're completely proud of yourself for blurting out the first thing that comes to your mind about yourself in compliment form, but you know it's what gets you Slusheed every day, and it kills you. So, you try to stop. And every time it happens, you curse yourself for being so talented and full of yourself. And around me, it's easy for you to suppress that know it all and allow yourself to be a normal teenager who just gets to enjoy time with her boyfriend like most girls like to. When you do start to be a know it all around me, you kick yourself later. You know that I hate when you do that, because it's not only annoying, but you know that I know the real you and when you become what you aren't, you hate that I know who you actually are. And you're afraid that if you are that way around me that I'll leave you stranded or whatever. I wouldn't do that, personally. I'd probably just tell you to shut up or something, and you hate that. So, you act like yourself around me, because, at the end of the day, me telling you to shut up is your worst nightmare.

"Am I right, or do you want me to keep going?"

She let out a short laugh. "No, you're... absolutely correct, I just, how do you know that? It seems almost impossible for anyone to know that. I don't speak to anyone about my personal life. There is no way that you would know something that personal about me."

"I told you, Berry. I know you."

Rachel tapped her lips with her fingers. "But, how?" Puck shifted in his seat, looking around awkwardly. "Noah?" she said in a mock warning tone.

Puck chewed on his lip for a moment. "I've watched you, Rachel... You may be what ever you are at school, but that doesn't mean that everyone hates you all the time. You were actually my main focus whenever I wasn't with someone else." Rachel stifled a laugh. "You stood out from everyone else, how was supposed to not notice you?"

"You threw Slushees in my face every day."

All of a sudden, a tall man in a white button down and a black apron came up to there table. "Good evening, my name is Justin and I'll be your server for tonight. Can I interest you in our specialty wine for the night. It's light and sweet, but with just a slight bite to it."

He displayed a bottle of red wine to them but Puck waved it away. "Sorry, sir, we're underage."

Justin nodded understandingly, putting the bottle on the tray of a waiter walking by before pulling out a little note pad from his pocket. "What can I get you two to drink?"

"Can I just have water, please?"

He nodded, wrote it down, then looked to Rachel. "And, I'll have an iced tea, please."

"Sure thing. And have you decided on what you want to eat, or would you like a few minutes?"

"Can we have a few minutes?" Justin nodded then marched away, heading to the back and disappearing. Puck looked back to Rachel, a smirk on his face. "I know you pretty well, don't I?" She gave him a small nod. "And you don't know me at all..."

Rachel snorted, as if to contradict what he said. "Oh, yes, I do."

He leaned back in his chair. "Oh, yeah?" She did the same and nodded. "Okay, go ahead, Rachel. What do you know about me? Say it, I dare you."

"Alright." She leaned forward, her elbows resting on the table. "You like musicals. You like them a lot. Which makes you a hypocrite for making fun of me about them, but that doesn't really matter to you, as long as no one finds out that you love Wicked and West Side Story. You've also gone to see both multiple times, and even went to Boston to see Wicked, because it was your favorite revival cast. You listen to the soundtracks when you know no one is watching, and your favorite song is _For Good." _She glanced through her menu. "The pasta sounds good... Penne pasta smothered in tomato sauce and topped with melted swiss cheese."

Puck rolled his eyes. "Come on, Rachel. I know Abbey just told you that. Come on, what do you really know about me?" He looked through his menu as well. "I think I might get that too.."

Right then, Justin came up to the table and placed the drinks in front of them. "Are you ready to order?"

Puck gave him a smile. "Can we have two of the Penne pasta dishes, please?"

"Of course." He scribbled it on his note pad, then took their menus. "I"ll be right back with that. Rachel gave him a small smile, then turned to Puck who was giving her the same smirk he had been before as he waited for her to answer the question he had asked before. "Fine, Noah. You're actually a really sensitive person. Your favorite movie is The Notebook and you probably cried with Abbegail at the end of Titanic. Among the dirty magazines and articles about football and such, you love National Geographic. You think the little animals are cute and the stories about history could keep you entertained for hours. You were absolutely thrilled when in your history class, the project subject was about Egypt and the pyramids, because you love all that stuff. And you want to go to The Nile one day.

"Around your sister, you're the nicest person in the world. And around your friends, you can be the rudest and most self-centered seventeen year old there is. That bothers you a lot. You don't want to have a reputation like that, but you also don't want to be on the bottom of the food chain like me and the rest of the people in glee club. So, the best you can do from being thrown in the Dumpsters is to be the one who throws. You find it hilarious at first, like that time you Saran wrapped a freshman and dumped him upside down into a trash can. You laughed for hours. But, then after wards, what you really wanted to do was let him Saran wrap you and dump you into the trash. You even tried to apologize, but you couldn't find him. You thought he transferred to another school. You let it slide. It's the Dumpster throwing you don't like. That's why you've never done it yourself. You always have the other footballers to it. You just watch so you don't have to really participate, even though you're the one who started it all. So, around Abbey, you're not that way. She knows what you do at school, because she's seen a few times. But, at home, she ignores it because that's when you're being who you are, and that's all that matters to her. You take care of her like a dad would take care of his daughter and you make sure that whenever something happens to her, you get revenge on what made her hurt, or sad, or mad.

"You like being with me. We're a lot alike, and that's what gets you most. Our personalities may not be the same, but what we do with them is. At school, we're two completely different people then we are about each other. And we like the way we are around each other. You wish it could be that way all the time, but, again, you have a reputation to uphold. Except, for some reason, you don't let that reputation get in the way of you being with me. You kissed me in the middle of the halls and didn't care what anyone said or did, you just did it because you wanted to. And it felt amazing. It was like you were throwing your social status rule book out the window. You had freedom, and since you are who you are, no one gave you anything about it. I help you to feel liberated and you don't care that I won't sleep with you or anything like that, because for just once in your life, you want a normal, actual relationship.

"And that's another thing. Everything you do you regret. You hate that you've slept with the entire of the girl population in the school. You don't think about it then, because, after all, it is sleeping with someone and you love that, but after, you're always afraid you got someone pregnant or something an that freaks you out because you never speak to the girl again after. Which is also kind of unfortunate because there was a chance that you could have a relationship with her, but you blow that out the window and don't really care, since you don't need to worry about them if they're not around you. But, you regret that too. You get scared that the girls will loose self respect if they just sleep with you then you leave them. Sure, one night with you isn't uncommon, but it's still everyone's dream. Everyone knows that's what you do, so the girls you sleep with don't expect you to get into a commitment, which makes it a clear pass for you, but you still worry about it anyway.

"You like glee club. You haven't been Slusheed at all since you joined, and you take that as a good sign, and you can easily admit to yourself that the songs we do aren't actually that bad. You like show tunes, and that's why you were a little resentful to join at first, but you liked singing and being in Mr. Schuster's a capella group kind of opened your eyes a little bit. That's when you chose to join, because you saw that people really liked what you could do, so, you thought it wouldn't be so bad to go into glee club. And you also admit to yourself that you've made some pretty close friends. You know that Matt and Mike are around, as well as Finn, so you've got some of the boys on the football team, but despite the fact that you used to throw Kurt into the Dumpster, he is pretty okay in your eyes. And the girls there are the only ones that you can talk to and not want to sleep with. They're actually friends of yours. And you like that, because most girls your around, you want to have sex with them, and that's all. But, with these ones, it's a real friendship that isn't fake or anything. And that means a lot to you, because you've never had something like that before."

When she was finished, Rachel let out a satisfied sigh and leaned her chin in one had, casually taking a sip of her idea. "How was that?"

Puck laughed loudly a few times, earning a few smiles from other couples at tables. "Stop on, Rachel. I'm impressed." She waved it off as if it were no big deal. Justin came and placed the dishes in front of them, giving them a nod before getting called over to another table. Rachel and Puck looked at each other for a long time, his hazel gray ones searching her chocolate brown ones. "You know..." he said, stabbing a few pastas with his fork and eating them. "...You're kind of amazing."

She eat some of her dish as well, smiling. "Thank you. You're quite wonderful yourself."

Then, he reached across the table and took her hand, not letting it go for the rest of the meal.

* * *

"There's your change, and have a great rest of the night," Justin said, placing the check and change on their table, as well as two silver wrapped chocolates.

Puck nodded. "Thank you, sir." Justin smiled at the two of them then marched away to the back. Puck looked at Rachel as she stood up, unwrapping the chocolate. "Ready to go?"

"Yes, I am," she said, weaving her hand around his forearm and leaning her head on his bicep. The two of them walked through the restaurant, nodding to the host as they walked out. "Noah, look!" she said, jumping back up onto the curb after she has stepped down.

He froze, his eyes whipping around. "What? What happened?"

Rachel giggled, holding out her free hand. Puck saw that huge drops of water were falling onto it, creating a little pool in her palm. "It's raining."

"Then let's go!" he said, not waiting for her to respond as he grabbed her hand and bolted across the parking lot. Half way to the car, he let go of her hand and dashed into his Jeep, stopping when his door was almost closed. Turning around, he faced Rachel, who was standing in the middle of the parking lot, slowly making her way to the car. "Rachel, what are you doing!" he shouted over the loud pounding of the rain. "It's pouring. Get in the car!"

She shook her head and waved him over, grinning when he climbed out of the car and jogged over to her. "It's raining," she said, smiling up at him as water droplets rolled over her cheeks.

"You're insane."

"And that's a bad thing?" Rachel giggled, holding her arms out as she spun around, laughing louder as she let her feet move faster and faster.

Out of know where, Puck caught her around the waist and pulled her close to him, pushing away the hair that has stuck to her face from the ponytail. He smiled at her, his forehead pressed against hers as her hands drifted up his arms and came to a rest on his shoulders. "Rachel, will you dance with me?"

She made a face at him. "There's no music."

"We can make some."

Then, with a small smile on his lips, Puck started humming the tune of _For Good _from Wicked as the two of them started to sway back and forth, their feet allowing them to rotate slightly. Rachel let her head rest against his chest and he held her tightly to him, his cheek pressed against the top of her head. After a moment, he spun her around, then twisted her into him, dipping her. She laughed, letting her head fall backward with a huge smile on her face.

As Puck brought the song to a close, he let her stand back up properly, looking her in the eyes. "Rachel, can I tell you something?" She nodded slowly, her heart beginning to pound. "Rachel, I love..." It started pounding faster. "I love your smile."

"Oh, thank you," she said, trying to hide the small disappointment in her voice. "Thank you very much."

"Do you wanna get going?" She nodded. "Mi'lady," he said, extending his elbow to her. She took it and flounced with him to the Jeep, pretending that nothing had happened. Puck opened the door for her and helped her in, shutting the door when she was situated properly. "Stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid!" he said to himself, face-palming himself repeatedly in the forehead as he walked to his side of the car.

"You stupid, silly girl," Rachel said as he closed the door, flipping the sun visor down and checking her make up. "Of course he wouldn't say what you wanted him to. He's Noah Puckerman, for God's sake. He can't say those words." She heard Puck shouting something as he walked to the drivers side, and she tried to act casual as she fixed the eyeshadow that was disappearing on her lids.

Puck climbed into the drivers seat then let his head fall against the top of the wheel when he saw that he left his phone in the car and currently had ten missed calls from Abbegail. "Oh, shoot." She made a face at him. "I forgot I was supposed to pick her up. Jeremy and his parents are going away and I needed to get her from the restaurant."

Rachel giggled. "Oops. Better go get here then."

Puck put the car in drive and pulled out of the parking lot. "I will. But, first, I'm going to drop you off, since you're on the way." She nodded slowly. "Alright... Let's go."

**I hate the ending, I hate the ending, I hate the ending. Seriously. I hate it. I wished I couldn't have ended it in some other way, but I can't think of one, so I just left it with, 'Alright... Let's go.' But whatever, I know you all like it anyway. **

**PLEASE REVIEW! **


	22. I Want Cake

**I'm back. And I've got more. And I'm sure you're all going to go crazy after this one... Just you wait. Lots of new characters, and a big switch. This chapter moved kind of fast, so be warned and don't go telling me it was way too fast. I already know. Go read. **

Chapter Twenty-Two: I Want Cake

"I'll, uh, I'll see you later," Puck said, leaning down one last time to kiss Rachel, a small smile on his lips as he did so.

She bit her lip, opening the door to her house. "Yeah. And, thank you for tonight. I had a wonderful time."

Puck nodded. "Yeah. It was great learning what you knew about me."

"Likewise." He smiled at her. "I'll see you at school."

"Yeah, see you then."

Then Rachel turned and opened her door, shutting the door with a sigh as Puck shoved his hands in his pockets, marching over to his car. Climbing into the driver's seat, he grabbed his phone and called Abbegail, tapping his fingers on the car wheel as he waited for her to pick up.

After three rings, he heard her say, "Hello?"

"Hey. I'm on my way over," he said, pulling out of Rachel's driveway and pulling onto the main road. "Are they still there with you?"

Abbegail made some noise that was supposed to say yes. "They're getting antsy, though. They have to leave, like, soon."

"Okay, well, I'll be there in, like, five minutes, alright?"

She didn't even answer. Abbegail just hung up and he stared at his cell phone. "Annoying little shit," he said to himself, pressing 'End' before dropping his phone on the passenger's seat. Twisting down some roads, he pulled into the Honey Star Cafe, stopping right in front of the entrance. Abbegail was standing there with Jeremy and his parents, giving his mother a polite hug. Puck rolled down the window. "Hey, Jonah! How you doing?" he said. "It's been a while since I've caught you in the Book Nook. You gonna pay a visit soon?"

Jeremy's parents gave him questioning looks and he just shrugged as if he didn't know what Puck was talking about. "He'll be paying a visit soon, don't worry," Abbegail said, kissing Jeremy's cheek quickly before climbing into the front seat. "Thank you so much, Mr. and Mrs. Barton. I had a wonderful time."

"Anytime, sweetie," they said, giving her quick waves.

Puck waved back. "So long! See in you a few days, Jeremiah." Jeremy gave his a small salute then the siblings pulled out of the parking lot and toward their house. "So, how was tonight?"

She nodded slightly. "It was good. A little bit awkward because his parents were there and we couldn't have the conversations we usually have, but we did talk about other stuff..."

"Like what?"

"Just... Other stuff." He raised his hands slightly, like he was telling her to calm down, and the Jeep veered off to the right. "Puck! Hands on the wheel!" she screamed, frantically looking around as he began to laugh, putting his hands back down. "It's not funny!"

He laughed harder as he turned the car back onto the road. "Yes, it is." With a frown on her face, Abbegail reached over and punched him in the arm. "Ow! Hey, come on, Abbs. It's no big deal."

"There is a giant oak tree back there. Do you cal nearly crashing into that no big deal?" He bit on his lip. "Exactly. Do that again, and I'll kick the crap out of you." Puck snorted. "I swear to God, Puck, I will."

"Alright, alright, I'm sorry," he said, reaching over and taking her hand. "It was stupid." She nodded, looking down at her shoes. "What kind of things did you guys talk about?"

Abbey held onto Puck's hand tighter. "Jeremy's going back to Grandview in a few weeks..." she said solemnly, twisting her loose hair around her finger.

Puck slowed his driving and looked at his sister. "Oh... Abbey, I'm sorry." Her eyes flickered to his for a moment and Puck saw that they were lined with tears. "He's fine, isn't he? They're just checking up with him, I'm sure, to see how he's doing and everything." She shook her head. "He's going there to stay?"

"Yep. Mrs. Barton said that she wanted him to be there and not here. The systems at Mount Carmel suck."

Pulling over onto the side of the road and put the car in park, leaning over to hug Abbey tightly. "Well, you can go visit him and stuff. I'm sure they' not going to keep him captive, so he can came back and see you." She nodded into his shoulder. "Are you going to be okay?" Abbey nodded again. "Alright. Good."

They stayed where they were for a few moments, then Abbegail said, "You're wet."

And Puck burst out laughing.

* * *

When the two siblings pulled up to their driveway, Puck was half asleep. It was nearly 10:00 and even though his usual sleep time was around two in the morning, tonight he was exhausted.

"I swear to God, if I'm not able to go to bed right now, I'm going to kill someone," he said, putting the key in the lock and opening the door.

Suddenly, the lights were flicked on and Puck went deaf when there was a chorus of, "Surprise!"

Looking around, Puck and Abbey's jaws dropped at the sight of all their relatives gathered in the living room, bright and shining looks on their faces.

"Oh, dear God," Puck mumbled.

"You gonna kill someone?" Abbey whispered subtly, taking a step closer to him.

He nodded. "Oh, yeah."

Then the crowd started to move and the two teenagers forced their faces into ones of joy as their grandmother pushed her way to them, her arms held out. "Bubbe!" they cried, hugging her as she wrapped an arm around each of them.

"How are my two darlings? Happy birthday, Noah," she said, holding Puck's face in her hands, looking at him. She stared for a moment and Puck gave her a smile. "Oh, Noah, don't do that. You look like you're high when you smile like that."

He frowned as Abbey stifled a laugh. "Bubbe, I will have you know that this smile is the cause of my suave and quick wit."

"Well, we wouldn't want that to leave, now would we?" He frowned even more. "Oh, I'm kidding, Noah. Perk up." Kissing his cheeks, she moved onto Abbegail. "Gorgeous, gorgeous, gorgeous," she said, smiling happily. "Abbegail Mason Puckerman, don't change a thing about yourself. You're beautiful."

She laughed once. "Thank you, Bubbe."

Their grandmother stepped close to her. "Are you keeping your brother in line?" Abbey nodded. "Good, good. And don't be afraid to smack him upside the head if he makes you mad."

"Yes, ma'am."

"Emily?" Their grandmother turned around at Sarah calling her name. "Could you help me in the kitchen for a moment?"

She nodded, tapping each child on the nose quickly before turning and waddling off to the kitchen with their mother. "Well," Puck said, looking at everyone in his family. "Hello, everyone."

Then, he was swarmed with people, all of them kissing his cheeks and hugging him tightly, wishing him 'Happy Birthday's. He was stepped on a few times, his toe throbbing as he finally finished welcoming everyone. Abbey was standing off to the side, talking to someone who Puck couldn't see and when he walked over to them, he was nearly tackled to the ground by an enthusiastic hug.

"Puck!" the girl squealed, giggling.

He instantly knew who it was. There was only one other family member who called him Puck, aside from his sister and mother. And no one else in their family had a voice like that, all bubbly and happy and that you could depict in a crowd of screaming people if you listened hard enough. Someone who was like a sister, and technically she was, since she was their father's other daughter.

"Hey, Rebecca," he said, clasping his arms around her waist and hugging her tightly, picking her up and spinning around quickly. "What's up?"

Putting her back on the ground, she stepped away from him. "Not much. Same as always, I guess. How are you?"

Rebecca was their half sister. She was about a year younger than Abbegail, born eight months after her. Even though they were a year apart, the two girls considered the other their best friend, and talked at least once every day. Puck took care of her just like he took care of Abbegail, taking her places, as well as picking her up from them and protecting her in any way he could.

Sarah Puckerman treated her like one of her own children, and since the kids grew up together and that the parents got along so well, she was like an aunt to Rebecca.

Puck shrugged. "Fine, I guess. You know. Same old, same old. Nothing new since _your _birthday."

"That's such a lie, Puck," Abbegail said, linking arms with Rebecca.

She looked between the two of them. "What is this?" she said, planting her free hand on her hip. "Puck, is there something you're not telling me?" He shook his head and her eyebrow arched. "Well, if you're not going to tell me, I'm sure Abbey would be more than thrilled." She turned toward her half sister. "Shall we?"

"We shall."

The two girls started to march away into the living room and Puck scurried after them, breaking the girls apart and wedging himself between them on the couch. "Okay, okay, okay... No gossiping about me behind my back." Rebecca squealed quietly. "Alright, so there's this girl and-"

"Candle time!" Sarah shouted over the noise of their family, and the three of them groaned, letting her heads fall back at the same exact time. "You can tell you're all siblings," Sarah said, crossing her arms over her chest as she raised her eyebrows at them. They made the same face at her. "Exhibit B... But, can the three of you please proceed to the kitchen?"

The three of them stood up, Rebecca shrieking when Sarah poked her sides to get her moving quicker. "Hey, that's not fair!" she said, glaring jokingly up at Puck's mother, who smiled at her. "Mean!"

"I could do it again, if you want." The teenager ran into the kitchen. "Alright everyone! Happy birthday to you!" she began to sing.

"Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday, dear Noah! Happy birthday to you!"

Puck leaned over and blew out the candles, grinning for the pictures that were being snapped. The family cheered then people started pulling out candles, licking off the frosting before Emily started cutting pieces to hand to everyone.

When the three of them got their cake, they headed back to the living room, stopping along the way to talk to other family members. Puck was caught by his Aunt Stephanie, his mom's sister. "Just go to the couch," he said, nodding to the loveseat. "Grab it so no one else can get it and save me a spot."

He turned back to her, taking a bite of cake. "So, Noah, how are you?"

"Good... School's good, work's good, football's good."

Aunt Stephanie smiled warmly at him. "Sweet. Your mom tells me you're doing something with singing? How's that?"

"Oh, glee club." She nodded. "It's cool. I met some pretty awesome people and the director of it is my Spanish teacher, so that automatically entitles me to style points in class."

"Nice." He nodded slowly and her smile faded slightly. "And how's Abbegail doing?" Puck froze. "I was talking to your mom. She doesn't want Emily to know, so don't talk to your Bubbe about it, but she said something was happening with Abbegail. Is she alright?"

Puck nodded. "Yeah, she's fine. She's doing what they tell her to do, she's taking her medication and she's doing better than she was before."

"Seems good." They stood there in silence for a moment. "Well, I'll let you go, but if you ever need to talk, I'm here. I know how you feel, since your mom and everything."

"Mom?"

Aunt Stephanie made a face. "Well, if she didn't tell you about it, then I won't go into it, but ask her, see if she'll tell you."

Then she sauntered away, leaving Puck standing there for a moment before he turned to the girls, who were calling his name and patting the spot in between them. He wandered over, planting himself on the couch as they looked at him expectantly.

"So? What happened to you?" Puck made a face. "I want you to tell me about what happened since we last talked, smarty pants."

"Well, I want cake," he said, digging his fork in and taking a huge bite.

Suddenly, his phone buzzed in his pocket. Pulling it out, he looked at the text message, his eyes widening.

_We need to talk. Monday, chorus room, first period. -Quinn_

**So, basically, the deal with Rebecca is this. Sarah got pregnant with Abbegail when she and Eli were fighting a lot. About five months into the pregnancy, they got divorced, but obviously he stayed around. He met Natalia about three months before Abbegail was born, then after about two months of the relationship as a while, so a month before Abbegail was born, Natalia got pregnant. Lots of babies. But, it is how it is. :) It's all good though. **

**Also, how many of you hate me right now? I'm sure a lot of you. But, think about it this way. Quinn could either be enunciating the fact that he needs to back the fuck off, or that she wants him to be the daddy. Point is, you won't know. So ha! **

**REVIEW! **


	23. Back

**I just had to update. We're getting to a peak, guys. The pinnacle, so they say. Point is, this chapter's big. Like, it's way intense. Stay with me, here, a lot happens. We've got this though. Don't worry. It's all under control, I promise.**

Chapter Twenty-Three: Back

Rachel sat in her bedroom, her laptop in front of her as she video chatted with Mercedes, who was eating a midnight snack of salad with honey mustard dressing.

"So, he said he loved your smile," Mercedes said, chomping down on a cherry tomato. Rachel nodded. "What's the problem with that?"

The brunette let her hair out of the pony tail she had it in as she began to change out of her dress and into pajamas. "The problem is... I could tell he was going to say something else, but he got scared or something. I wanted him to say something else. I really, really wanted him to." Mercedes nodded slowly. "He's Noah Puckerman. Why is it so hard for him to speak his mind?"

"Because speaking his mind means saying the three words he thought he'd never say to anyone who wasn't a family member." Rachel slipped on a pair of sweatpants and a tank top, wrapping her hair up in a towel. "Face it, Rachel. Even though The Studmiffin isn't afraid of speaking his mind, when it comes to you, he is. You've silenced the unsilenceable."

Rachel made a face as she sat back down. "Unsilenceable isn't a word, Mercedes."

"Neither is badass, but Puck's that too." They both nodded slowly. "And think about it this way..." she said around some lettuce. "Puck's there. He has been for this long, I don't think he's going to leave any time soon, you know?"

"He could get bored."

"That's not likely." Rachel's brow pushed together in confusion. "Yeah, he goes through girls quickly, but you're different from them. He talks to you and has actual conversations. Puck actually listens to you." They were silent for a moment. "And, if that's not the case, just tell him how you feel, so he can know what he does to the girls he gets with, you know? Show him that he makes you fall in love with him before he just dumps you when he gets bored."

Rachel chewed on her lip. "Do you think I should do that? Just... Tell him how I feel before things get to, you know, out of hand." Mercedes nodded slowly. "I mean, it seemed like that's what he was going to do... Maybe I should just get it over with."

"Seems like a good plan."

"You think?"

She nodded again. "Yeah. And, if it's not, at least he knows how you feel." They both smiled. "So, say it, Rachel. Tell me how you feel."

"IloveNoahPuckerman," she mumbled out quickly, looking down at the ground as if embarrassed.

"No! Say it like you mean it!"

Looking up slowly, Rachel got a big grin across her face. "I love Noah Puckerman."

"Louder!"

"I love Noah Puckerman!"

Mercedes nodded approvingly. "Well done. And don't forget it, Rachel."

* * *

On Sunday morning, Puck sat in the TV room, staring blankly at the TV, which was off, as he slid his cell phone open and closed. Every time he did, the picture of him and Abbey at the beach flashed up, her on his back holding out the phone as both of them smiled while sticking out their tongues.

He couldn't get that text message out of his head. _We need to talk. Monday, chorus room, first period, _just kept bouncing around in his head like a bouncy ball on speed.

"You just need to do something to get your mind off of it, that's all," Abbegail had said to him with a shrug before they had gone to bed the previous night.

"I'll clean," he said, suddenly sitting up. "I'm going to clean this whole fucking house, as long as it gets my mind off this." Puck nodded to himself defiantly. "And I'll start here."

He began to clean, picking up all the DVD cases and putting the disks where they were supposed to go, lining them up in alphabetical order on the shelves. Moving to the floor, he grabbed the Dust Buster and sucked up everything on the rug, then started crawling around the first floor, going into every corner he could. Then he got up and cleared off the dining room table, putting all the papers into neat stacks before wiping it down and pushing the chairs in. "The couch covers should probably be cleaned..." He was speaking to no one except himself, but he felt like it needed to be said out loud, as if that were supposed to help him.

Heading back to the TV room, Puck stared at the couch for a moment. Taking the cushions off, he began removing the covers before he stopped, staring at the last pillow. "Abbegail!" he shouted, staring at the cushion angrily.

"What?" she shouted back, walking out of her bedroom. She stood at the top of the stairs, leaning down slightly. "What's the problem, Puck?"

"Get your ass down here." His voice was sharp and angry. She bounced down the stairs, turning the corner into the TV room. She sucked her lips into her mouth, biting down on them as she saw his facial expression. "What. In. God's. Name. Is. This?" he said, pointing at the couch.

Abbey looked over the back of the couch, seeing a stain taking up most of the cushion. "Um, to me, it looks like a stain," she said, grinning at him.

He glared at her. "Don't get smart with me, Abbegail," he said, his voice an acid hiss. She raised an eyebrow at him. "Where did it come from?"

Abbey sighed. "I have no idea…" she said, trailing off at the end.

Puck, again, glared at her. "You better have an idea, Abbegail."

The phone rang and Abbey sighed, thinking she was saved. "I'll get it."

He reached to her, gripping her wrist. "You'll stay exactly where you are. I'm getting it." He walked out of the room into the kitchen, yanking the old fashioned chord phone off the wall. "Puckerman Residence; what do you want?" he snapped, pressing the phone to his ear tightly. "Oh, hi Dad." Abbey perked up, her ears leaning toward the kitchen. She could hear Puck mumbling. "Mm, yeah, I know… Yeah, I told Mom about it last week. I think…" He was much more calm and respectful now that he was talking to his father and Abbey rolled her eyes.

"No, Abbey's fine… Yeah, she's taking her medication." Abbey saw Puck run his hand over his head and sigh, tired and worn out. "No, she hasn't had anything for a while; almost six months… Yeah, the doctors think it's gone now."

Abbey's stomach dropped at her brother's words and she bit her lip to stop her tears. She bit down so hard, she tasted blood. "Yeah, okay, I will… Love you, too. Bye." He slammed the phone back on the cradle, stepping into the TV room. "That was Dad."

Abbey smirked. "I heard."

"He said to tell you that he's coming back from the U.K. in about a week, so… Yeah." Abbey nodded, crossing her arms over her chest. "Anyway… Where did the stain come from?"

"I… Don't… Know…" she said, slowly, over-enunciating her words. "Okay? I don't know."

Puck's mood instantly shot down to what it was before their father called. "Well, Abbey, you need to know. You're the only one who eats in this room."

Abbey's mouth dropped to the floor. "Oh, that is such a load of bull, Puck," she shot at him, leaning all her weight on one foot. The phone rang again. And again. And again. "Are you gonna get that?"

"Just let it ring," he said, his words acid again. "So, do you wanna explain?"

Abbey stomped her foot. "I don't know what the freaking stain is from, Puck, okay? I don't." Puck glared at her. "What is wrong with you, Puck? Why are you acting like this? You were fine last night, so, why are acting like such a dill hole?"

_Hello, you've reached the Puckerman residence, _their mom's voice said from the answering machine. _We're sorry we can't come to the phone right now but if you'll leave your name, number and the time of your call, we'll get back to you as soon as possible. Thanks. _There was a beep, then another, signaling that the person had hung up the phone.

Puck rubbed his temples. "Look, Abbey. I'm just a little bit stressed right now. Something is happening with Quinn, and it's a little bit nerve wracking."

"What's happening with Quinn?"

"None of your damn business, nosy little twit." Her jaw dropped. "So, now, tell me where the stain came from."

Puck's little sister put all her weight on her foot and stubbornly crossed her arms over her chest. "I do not know, Puck, God!"

"Well, you know something Abbegail, the stain is ketchup. I don't eat ketchup. You do."

The phone started ringing again and both siblings glared at the telephone hanging on the wall, yet neither of them went to answer it. Instead, they stayed where they were.

"You so eat ketchup, Noah." Abbey ran a hand through her hair, glaring at her brother.

Puck snorted. "When was the last time you saw me eat ketchup?" Her mouth opened to say something, but nothing came out. "Yeah, that's what I thought." Abbegail narrowed her eyes at him. "So, get the stuff from the cabinet and try to clean the stain off of that cushion."

The machine beeped twice. "God, Noah, just because Dad isn't here all the time that doesn't mean you can go all father on my ass!" she screamed at him, her voice cracking from how high it rose.

"I am one of your _legal _guardians, Abbegail Mason. I have the total right to boss you around. Just as if I were your father. So get a _fucking_ sponge and some _fucking_ stain remover and get the _fucking _spot off the _fucking_ cushion!"

"_God, _Puck, you are such an _asshole_!" she said, screaming over the phone, which had started ringing again. "You think that just because you're my brother, a legal guardian, that you can just whip that out and use it as an excuse to boss the crap out of me! I can't freaking _stand _you!" She stomped out of the TV room and into the kitchen. Puck heard her slamming around. "Mom isn't here all the time; let's boss around Abbey!" A slam. "Dad only comes around once and a while; let's boss around Abbey!" A second slam. "And on top of that, let's just make it so bad that she starts to hate her brother; let's boss around Abbey even more!"

She came stomping back into the room with yellow rubber gloves on, a sponge in one hand a spray bottle with _Oxy Clean Stain Remover _on it in the other. "Let's just make her life even more miserable despite the fact that the doctors were wrong." She started spraying the remover onto the couch.

"What did you say?" Puck said, cocking his head toward his sister.

The phone rang for the fourth time.

Abbey stood up, crossing her arms over her chest. "You heard me, Noah." The phone kept ringing. "God, just answer the fucking phone, Puck," she said, wavering in her spot slightly as her vision began to tunnel.

"_What!_" Puck shouted, yanking the phone off the wall, knocking the cradle to the floor. Abbey started to waver again, closing her eyes as her heart started to slow down; her mind piercing at the pain shooting through it. "No, I'm sorry, she can't come to the phone at the moment. She's-"

"Puck?" Abbey said quietly, reaching for the wall, trying to gain balance.

"She'll be home from work around two thirty in the morning so, unless you wanna call then, I don't think you'll reach her. It'll be-"

"Puck?" Abbey said again, a little bit louder. She could still hear her brother talking to whoever was on the other end of the line, jabbering away about when their mother would be home. "Puck?" Still, he didn't respond. "Puck!"

"What?" he said, poking his head into the TV room.

"I'm… I'm…"

Puck's face took on a look of panic and he slammed the phone down into the cradle, running towards his sister, cradling her limp body in his arms before she hit the floor.

* * *

Puck was pacing back and forth, chewing on his nails as his sneakers slapped on the linoleum floors. There was white all around him, the walls and floors mocking him with their innocent color. Nothing about this place was innocent. Not even close. Nurses were everywhere. Some were carrying trays of little metal things, others were with family members, baring the bad news that no one ever wanted to hear.

So, as he felt his legs getting more and more tired with every turn, he began, tapping his free hand on the side of this leg, shaking his head with every step.

"Noah Puckerman?" He whipped his head up and looked around for the person that called his name. "Are you Noah Puckerman?" Puck nodded quickly. "We're ready for you."

Instantly, Puck fell into step with the male doctor that was holding a chunky clipboard, their steps slowing as they reached a big room with curtains separating the beds. Abbegail was sitting on one near the end of the room, her legs crossed like a first graders as she waited for them to reach her. When they did, Puck scrambled her up in a hug, sitting next to her on the bed. She hugged him back, her face buried in his shoulder, just like it had been the night before in the Jeep.

"You scared me," he said, rubbing her back comfortingly as he kissed her temple. "Don't do that again, okay? You scared me shitless. Do you know how long I've been pacing back and forth in that lobby for?"

Abbey shook her head. "No. But, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, Puck. I didn't mean to. It's not my fault."

"No, it most certainly is not her fault." The siblings were silent and Puck made a questioning face. "Well, we have some news for you."

Puck looked over Abbegail's head. "Good or bad, Dr. Jacobs?"

"Both." Abbey hugged him tighter. "Um, before we talk, where's your mother? Shouldn't she be here?"

Puck shook his head. "I called her. She knows we're here. She's actually working right down stairs."

Dr. Jacobs nodded. "Alright. Well, would you like the bad news first, or the good news?"

"Good news," they said at the same time, releasing each other from their hug, but holding onto each others hands.

"Good news. Alright. The good news is... It's treatable." Tears filled Abbegail's eyes. Her chin started to tremble and she let her forehead fall onto Puck's shoulder as he stroked her hair softly. "Like we did last time, we can easily get rid of it, and the advanced treatments has a ninety nine percent chance that it'll cure what's infecting her body..."

Puck's brow creased together. "What do you mean, 'What's infecting her body'?"

Dr. Jacobs sighed, closing his eyes as be prepared to tell the two teenagers the news. "Abbegail's leukemia is back."

**Review?**


	24. Red and White Candy

**LALALALALALALALALA. MIMIMIMIMIMIMIMIMI. AHAHAHAHAHAHA. BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM. If you watch Alice in Wonderland, you'll know what I'm talking about when you get to the scene with the flowers. Point is, ****my little Munchies, breakfast is back, and this time, it's sad. Moving forward in life, everyone. Thank you, and goodbye.**

Chapter Twenty-Four: Red and White Candy

Puck and Abbey had to stay at the hospital for a majority of the day, taking tests and visiting doctors they thought they would never need to see again. The only one they were happy to see was Dr. Martin. He'd been Abbegail's doctor since she was two, and was always the one who make arrangements for her, who made sure everything was set and situated with her, and, aside from her father and Puck, Dr. Martin was the man that Abbegail trusted most.

They spent most of their time with him, allowing him to take charge and get them where they needed to go-'Where they needed to go' being the deli and ice cream place that was randomly placed in the center floor. Other than that, he let Abbey stay where she was. Dr. Martin made all the doctors go to her.

At around 5:30, about the time Puck would start dinner, they were able to go home. The ride was silent. Every ten minutes, Puck's knuckles would get whiter and whiter. Abbegail noticed, but when she inquired about why he was giving the steering wheel a death grip, he didn't answer and only turned on the radio.

When they pulled into the driveway, Puck casually got out of the car and marched up the walkway, into the house as if she wasn't even with him. Abbey slowly got out of the car, walking silently into the house as she kicked off her flip flops. She found him in the kitchen, searching through the fridge and tossing tortillas, grilled chicken, tomatoes and orange bell peppers onto the table behind him.

He had a blank expression on his face as he took the saute pan and put it on the stove, which he turned on.

"Can you cut the chicken, please?" he said in monotone. "We're having fajitas."

She nodded slowly, crossing the kitchen to get a knife from the holder. Puck sighed as if aggravated, pulled out toe first knife he saw and handed to her. Without a word, the two of them stood in the kitchen, chopping chicken and vegetables, the sound on knives whacking against cutting boards filling the uncomfortable silence.

"Are you okay?" Abbegail said, putting the chicken into a cereal bowl.

There was a loud sizzle and crackling as Puck threw the orange peppers into the pan with some oil. Steam erupted into his face and he grabbed a wooden spoon, pushing the vegetables around harshly. He didn't answer for a moment, but after putting the spoon on the counter. "Why didn't you tell me?" he said, resting his hands on the edge of the stove, careful to avoid the burner. Abbey's cutting ceased as she froze. "You knew it was back, that it was infecting your body again. You didn't tell me, but you knew."

"So did you?"

Puck snorted. "What are you talking about?"

Abbey stabbed the knife into her cutting board. "Oh, don't play dumb, Puck. You knew. It was all there; the black outs, the bloody noses, the throwing up, you saw it all!" she said in a loud voice as she threw her hands up in the air. "You just didn't want to believe it."

Puck stabbed at the food in the pan. "That's not true, Abbey. I didn't know a thing."

"Yes, you did!" she said, her voice cracking as tears filled her eyes. A lump rose in her throat and it became hard to swallow as her chest grew tighter. "You saw, Puck. You saw it all. I was out cold in the bathroom, taking a bath in my own vomit. There was blood all over the place. And don't tell me you haven't noticed that my hands are clammy and cold." Puck stared at his sister, his eyes rimming in red, much to his dismay. "You saw it all, Puck, but you didn't want to believe it was real."

With a sharp exhale, Puck leaned against the counter, on arm across his torso which supported his elbow, his thumb and forefinger pressing against his closed eyes. Abbegail stood there, feeling helpless before she scurried over to her brother, latching her arms around his middle.

"I should have told you that I knew, but we both knew, Puck." He held her tightly letting his lips rest on the top of her head. "We'll be okay, thought, " she said, reaching up and clasping the charm on her necklace. "I know we will."

It was silent for a moment and Puck felt a hot tear slide down his cheek and he wiped it away with the back of his hand. Suddenly, the front door banged open and there were loud footsteps before Sarah appeared in the doorway that lead to the TV room. She had a frantic look on her face, her eyes wide.

"Mom," Abbegail said, running from Puck to her mother, throwing her arms around her.

"Oh, my baby," Sarah said, holding her daughter as tight as she could. "You're okay, right? No battle wounds? Broken bones?"

Abbey laughed once, but it was slightly choked. "Just sore from the shots." Sarah nodded, stroking Abbey's cheek with her thumb. "I'm okay."

Puck grabbed the spoon and dished the peppers into a bowl. "Mom, I'm gonna go take a walk."

"Alright," she said, looking at him though the tears that were lining her eyes. "I think there's too much crying anyway. Take your time, and I'll finish dinner."

with a nod, Puck turned off the stove, grabbed his sweatshirt then marched out the door, his feet leading him across the road and to the sidewalk. It was cold outside, but he just slipped on his sweatshirt over his head and left the hood up, protecting his face from the wind that was thundering toward him.

Puck fished around in his pocket for a moment, then produced his iPod, shoving in the earbuds before pressing play. _Heaven _by Bryan Adams flowed into his ears and after a few seconds of walking, he broke into a run, not stopping until he reached ins intended destination.

~*~  
Rachel lounged in her living room, watching Moulin Rouge and eating vegetarian pizza from Guy's Pizza House, her feet tapping along with the beat to Because We Can. She was home alone, which was how she liked it, and aside from the movie, the house was comfortably quiet.

Right when Nicole Kidman was being lowered on the swing, Rachel heard the doorbell ring. As slowly as she could, Rachel hauled herself off the couch and put her pizza on the ottoman in front of her. The doorbell rang again as she straightened her skirt and pulled off her knee socks, which had started to fall down.

"Coming!" she called, bouncing through the house before peeking through the side window. "Oh," she said, surprised. Opening the door, Rachel smiled. "Noah, what are you doing here?" she said in a happy voice, one that made him wince slightly. "Noah?" Puck lifted his head, his sad eyes locking with hers. "Are... Are you alright?"

Rachel reached out to him slowly, but before she could touch him, he stepped into her house, pulling her close to him. She didn't have time to react before Puck's lips were on hers, molding with each other and moving together. Puck seemed almost desperate, like he was going to die if he didn't kiss her and hold her as closely to his body as he could. He pushed her against the wall, making her his her head slightly, but she ignored it as his hands started to run down her body, down the back of her thighs, and back up, one stopping on her butt while the other one was on her waist, holding her even closer. A shiver ran down her spine when he started tracing small circles on her exposed stomach skin when her tank top began to ride up under her shirt, his finger making bigger circles until he was reaching to almost below her belly button.

One of her arms slid around his neck and pulled their faces together, the other resting on his chest. Rachel felt her heart accelerate when he pressed his hips to hers, his hand moving from her waist to the hem of her shirt.

"No," she mumbled against his lips, pushing at his chest. "No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no."

"Shh, just relax," he said, placing a line of kisses on her cheek and jaw line. "I need this. Just trust me."

His lips were on hers again, their kisses sloppy, and they broke away, but only long enough for him to slide his hands under her top shirt and pull it off her body. Grabbing her head in his hands, he kissed her again, then began trailing his lips down her neck until they were on her collar bone. Rachel let her head rest against the wall, her eyes closed, but when his hand started to drift toward the zipper on her skirt, she stood up at attention, her hands gripping his shoulders.

"Noah, stop." Pushing him away, she made him stand up straight too, looking at him with a confused look on her face. "Noah, what's going on? Why are you here?"

"It's... Nothing, it's nothing. I just wanted to see you." She arched an eyebrow at him, and after a few seconds, he sighed. "It's Abbey," he said, crossing his arms tightly over his chest, looking down at the floor.

Rachel's lips parted, a silent gasp escaping her. "What happened? Is... Is she alright?" Puck shook his head, biting down on the inside of his cheek. "What happened, Noah?" she said, grabbing onto the sides of his face to make him look at her.

Puck took a deep breath, his voice shaking as he spoke. "Abbey has leukemia. Again."

Rachel froze, her eyes popping open as she sucked in a sharp breath. Her hands fell to Puck's shoulders and she became slightly limp, falling against the wall in shock. He had started falling apart in front of her, crumpling to the floor and pulling her with him. Her knees were bent as Puck nearly curled up in her lap, his face pressed into her legs.

Rachel didn't know how to react. She never knew Puck could cry, let alone in her entry way, curled up on the floor. She didn't know how to react to Him telling her Abbey had leukemia, again. Her eyes burned and a lump rose in her throat, making it hard to swallow. She had a sudden flashback to seeing Abbegail in their mother's bathroom, bleeding from her nose, coughing and crying. Then, to the rash that was near her spine, and how on the morning after the Halloween party, she had tried to tell Rachel what was wrong with her. Slowly, Rachel moved her arms to close around him, barely able to run her fingers through the little hair he had as her head fell against his.

"Shh, it's okay," she said soothingly, her lips brushing his temple. "It's all okay. She's fine, Noah. I know she will be."

He sat up, a blank expression on his face. "How do you know that/"

"Because," she said, stroking his cheek with her thumb. "That's always how it is. Abbey has you, she has your mother, and she has what she needs. You care about her so much, and all she needs is support and love from you to help her get stronger. That's all you need to give her, isn't it?"

As if to agree with her, Puck leaned forward and, as softly as he possibly could, pressed his lips against hers.

"You want some pizza?" Rachel said suddenly, cupping his jaw in her small hand and looking at him with a slightly sympathetic eyes. "We can eat pizza, have some sorbet, and then talk about it, if you want."

Swallowing down the lump in his throat, Puck nodded slowly. "Yeah, that'd be cool." With a smile, Rachel stood up and held her hand out to Puck, who took it and stood up as well. Hand in hand, they walked to Rachel's TV room where Moulin Rouge was still playing. She paused it and handed him a slice of still warm pizza before sitting down and patting the spot next to her. "Thanks," he said, sitting down slowly, sadly taking a bite from the pizza.

Rachel took a sip of root beer, putting the cup back down on the ottoman. "Alright, Noah. Talk to me."

They sat there for a moment, both of them chewing on pizza, before he began to speak. "Abbey was six years old when the doctors diagnosed her with leukemia. She hadn't been having symptoms, but she had the rash. You know, the one on her spine?" Rachel nodded slowly. "Yeah. It was out dad who saw it first, when they went to her swimming lesson. You could see it through the holes of her swim suit, and she had been really tired that whole week, so we took her to the doctors. They had to do a lot of tests, even the one where they stuck a needle into her bone to get the bone marrow inside.

"A week later, after she had started throwing up and getting constant bloody noses, we got a call from the hospital, saying the test results were back and we needed to go in for an appointment as soon as possible. Mom pulled us both out of school in the middle of the day, and even called Dad from his meeting in Cincinnati. We were all crammed into a tiny little office where some guy we didn't even know worked. He told us that Abbey's tests had all come back positive, that she had acute leukemia. I remember Mom started crying like a baby and she nearly suffocated Abbey because she was hugging her so tightly. Even my dad got a little emotional. But, Abbey and I had no idea what that dude was talking about. I mean, I knew that leukemia was a cancer, but I didn't know what it was, exactly…

"The doctor explained to us that it meant that Abbey's blood cells were growing too rapidly and that it would be too many malignant blood cells and it could crowd her blood, effecting the organs in her body. He told Abbey to think of it like there were red candies and white candies, but you had too many of the white ones, so you felt sick.

"There had to be treatments right away, since acute leukemia was the fastest growing leukemia a child could have, and she was at the hospital every day for at least six months. She got surgery, chemo therapy, radiation, everything. Abbey lost all her hair and always wore this knitted hat our Bubbe made for her. It was a frog."

Rachel smiled. "I had a bee hat when I was younger."

"Right." They were silent for a while. "When she was eleven said it was gone. Five years of treatment, and it was finally gone. We were all finally able to breathe. There was a sudden wave of relief, because you know that what was killing your sister was out of her system completely. They still had her take medication, just in case it came back, and for a while, it worked. She was perfectly fine…"

Rachel moved closer to Puck, snuggling into his side as she waited for more.

"But, then, for about six weeks now, Abbey's been having symptoms; throwing up, bloody noses, passing out, black outs, pretty much everything. When she fainted this afternoon, that's what got us to the hospital. Then, the tests and exams started all over again. God, it's probably the worst feeling in the world. Knowing that after two and a half years of the cancer being gone, it's back and everything that happened to her, the surgeries and operations, everything that she hated and detested for _years, _everything has to happen again.

"Do you know how that feels?" he said, picking an onion off his uneaten pizza and popping it into his mouth. "How it feels for some asshole you've just met tell you your sister's life is at stake. Again?"

His voice broke and he squeezed his eyes shut, willing the tears to stay in his eyes. Puck felt Rachel's arms wrap around his neck as she buried her face in his shoulder. The smell of her berry shampoo wafting into his nose. Tossing his pizza on the ottoman in front of him, Puck lifted Rachel into his lap and held her tightly to him, his face hidden in her hair.

"I don't know how it feels," she said into his neck after a moment of silence. "It must be the worst feeling in the world, Noah, and I'm sorry that I can't relate to you."

Rachel curled up in a ball, her arms now limp in her lap while her head rested on his chest and his arms wrapped around her torso.

He kissed the top of her head. "You don't have to relate, Rachel. The only think I need you to do is be there. For Abbey. Naturally," he added quickly, his grip on her tightening slightly.

"And you." They looked at each other as she sat up and turned to face him as best she could. "If I'm there for Abbey, I'll be there for you. You're such a wonderful person, Noah," she said, placing her hand on his cheek. He reached up and held her wrist, pressing her palm tighter to his jaw line. "I'll be there for the both of you."

"Why?" he whispered, looking down as he fiddled with the hem of her skirt with his free hand. "Why do you have to be there for me, too? It's Abbey who needs you."

Rachel took a deep breath. _And don't forget it, Rachel, _Mercedes has said to her. Suddenly, her heart was beating in her ears, and her breath caught as she looked at Puck, scared. "Because I… I… I love you."

There was a moment of silent between them. Rachel was chewing on the insides of her cheeks before Puck pulled her face to his, their lips smashing together. He shifted her slightly, then pulled her tightly against his chest, their arms holding each other tightly.

Seconds passed. Puck could feel Rachel's grip on him loosen, so he pulled away, furrowing his brow at her. "Now, this is usually the time for a response."

With a smile, Puck lightly pushed her head to his shoulder and she snuggled into his chest, his arms resting on her warmly.

"Me too, Rachel." She let out a sigh of relief. "I love you, too. So much." Puck placed his lips on her head and after a moment, he said again into her hair, "So much."

**Alrighty, Munchies, there you have it. It was said. Review and tell me what you think of Puck and Abbey's tragic tale, then Rachel and Puck's romantic one. :) Can we get to 200 reviews? Please? **


	25. Too Much To Handle

**Alrighty, well, this is a new chapter, everyone. We've got it under control, though. It's all good. Enjoy, and review! **

Chapter Twenty-Five: Too Much To Handle

Puck went home at around 11:30 PM after a night of walking, cold pizza, and sorbet. They had talked the whole night about Abbey and how she had leukemia and how it had been a struggle for Puck his whole life having to take care of her and all. How he had to start taking care of her when he was only seven years old, how most of the time, he was at the Fabray's playing with Quinn while her mother took care of his sister. Then how when he reached fifth grade, he had to stop everything he was doing after school and take care of her at home, not able to go out and play football with his friends or hang by the 7-11 and steal candy bars and slurp at the Slushees. And in eighth grade when he had to start taking the bus to the doctors appointments with her, not able to leave home for school in the mornings until the nanny came at eight thirty to take care of Abbey while he went to school. Then, finally, in high school when he got his license and was able to drive her to appointments, leave school in the middle of the day to take her to dance classes, or voice lessons, or back home for tutoring in the afternoons on Wednesdays.

And Rachel just listened to him talk for hours, sitting their politely and snuggling close to him every time his voice would grow quiet or choke. It was when his story ended that he noticed Rachel's eyes were starting to droop, so he picked her up and carried her to her room, laying her down on the bed and pulling the blanket at the end of the bed over her body. He wrote her a note saying that she had started to fall asleep, and so he left, but that he loved her and would see her tomorrow in school. Adding a P.S. at the end, he said if she wanted to meet him by the football field during fourth block, he wouldn't be argumentative about just sitting and talking with her. Or making out. It was her choice, and he left it up to her to decide what she wanted. After taping it to the bed post closest to her head, he kissed her temple and grabbed his sweatshirt, quietly exiting the house, not forgetting to check if the door was locked.

On the way home, he didn't listen to his iPod, he only walked slowly down the middle of the street, no cars on the road at this time of night in Lima, Ohio. His hands were shoved into his pockets, and when he was halfway home, he felt a buzzing in his hand. Pulling out his phone, he bit down on the inside of his cheeks when the front screen said _Quinn. _

Cautiously flipping his phone open so he had the keyboard, he read the text from her, slowly.

_Don't forget, chorus room, first block. —Quinn _

He sighed, not responding the message as he slipped the phone back into his pocket. He remembered about meeting her, obviously, but now he didn't want to go. Whatever she was going to tell him, he wouldn't have enough brainpower to deal with whatever she had to say. It was just...

"Ugh!" he said, kicking a small stone that was lying in front of him. "I can't handle this right now!" he shouted to no one, throwing his hands up in the air. "I don't even know anymore!"

But, that didn't matter. Puck had to know, because what Quinn had to tell him the next day would require knowing more than any high school boy should.

~*~  
The next morning, Quinn walked into the choir room before the doors had even been opened. One was always locked, but the door that let out near the cafeteria was always a little iffy, so she jiggled the door knob a few times before letting herself in. The room was deadly quiet, which was good because she needed some time to think. She'd been practicing what she was going to tell Puck, walking around her room and saying it out loud—when Finn wasn't there, of course—but she never thought she would actually have the courage to tell Puck what she wanted to say.

Immediately, she started pacing around, reaching on end of the room then turning on her heel and heading to the other. She snapped her fingers nervously, checking her phone every other second, hoping that maybe Puck had texted her saying that he wasn't going to be in school and she would be off the hook for another day. She would have another day to say what she needed to say, another day to practice telling him what she decided.

Quinn suddenly found that she had been doing this on Saturday night when she was debating whether or not she should tell him to meet her in the chorus room. She had been in the guest room at Finn's house, which they had let her start to stay in, pacing back and forth in the small area. Her phone had been sitting on the bed and she would look at it every time she passed it. It was open, but the screen had turned black because she had left it like that for such a long time.

"Come on, Quinn, make a decision... You know what you want to do, all you have to do is tell him and it's his choice on how to react..." she had said to herself over and over again, snapping her fingers repeatedly. "Okay, I'm gonna do it."

Then she had snatched up her phone and entered Puck's name into the recipient space, rapidly typing 'We need to talk. Monday, chorus room, first period. -Quinn' into the text box. Then with a few deep breaths, she pressed send then threw her phone down on the bed, flopping down next to it.

"Please don't answer, please don't answer, please don't answer," she whispered to herself, covering her face with her hands.

She had spent the rest of the night like that, curled up on her bed and praying to God that Puck wouldn't text her back and strike up a conversation about what she wanted to talk about. And he hadn't. He didn't even text back with an 'Ok' or something along those lines. Just no response, and that eased Quinn slightly.

But, now here in the chorus room, now doing nearly the same exact thing, Quinn found herself getting that same feeling, one that hoped Puck wouldn't show up and then she wouldn't have to tell him. She would never have to say a thing to him, and could just pretend like none of this had ever happened and although she was a pregnant teen, she could live a life as a normal teen, instead of setting herself up for the drama she was about to get into.

The lights suddenly flicked on and she whirled around to see who it was, shrieking slightly. But, it was only the janitor turning on all the lights in the school. He gave her a smile, and she smiled back, sitting down on the piano bench when he left her there without saying a word.

Her heart started to beat fast. The lights were being turned on. That meant that school was going to start soon, and she would have to face Puck. She folded her hands, clutching her fingers as they rested in her lap. Quinn could practically feel the color draining from her face when she heard footsteps in the hallway. And they didn't sound like the clunky but jingled steps of the janitors. They sounded like the flat, unemotional footsteps of a teenager, one who played foot ball and sang in the glee club. One's that she recognized too well.

She took a deep breath, squeezing her fingers so hard, a new of her knuckled cracked, but it didn't hurt. Nothing hurt her anymore. At least, that's what she kept telling herself.

~*~  
Puck pulled into the parking lot before any other cars were there. Any other cars except for Quinn's little red bug. He silently swore at himself, already regretting everything that was about to happen, and he didn't even know what was going to happen. But he didn't care. Because he knew it was going to be awful.

Hopping out of the Jeep and tossing his bag over his shoulder. Puck walked up to the school as slowly as humanly possible. It had rained that night, so he spent some time walked around the puddles, doing loops around a few of them. Puck even stared into one, wishing that he could just jump in and disappear into a different world where no one ever slept with their best friends girlfriends and got them pregnant. To a world where it was only him, only him and Rachel and he never had to worry about anything else.

But, he couldn't do that. So, he just stepped over the puddle and made his way to the front doors. They were open, much to his dismay, and he walked in, suddenly feeling his heart sink to nearly his stomach. The hallways were empty, naturally, but he looked around them anyway, hoping that maybe he would be able to see Quinn and escape when he got the chance. He had no luck, but instead, he ran straight into the janitor, who promptly knocked him to the ground because he was so big.

"Oh, I'm sorry, kid," he said, extending his hand and helping him up. "Gotta watch where you're going, huh?"

Puck nodded. "Yeah, I'm sorry, sir. I'm just, uh, looking for someone."

"A blonde?" Puck nodded. "She's down the hall, pacing around the music room like a lunatic."

Then he walked away, leaving Puck standing there with his heart beating in his ears. He felt glued in his spot. Puck tied to move his feel, but he couldn't. He was stuck and couldn't leave. He was already trapped.

Then, suddenly, as if by magic, his legs started to move, leading him to the door by the cafeteria. It was open, and he knew by Quinn, and his hands were shaking when he walked in. Quinn was sitting at the piano bench, her hands placed neatly in her lap as she stared straight ahead, not moving when Puck walked up in front of her. Her face was paler than he had every seen anyone's face be, and it freaked him out that Quinn was so still.

"Quinn?" he said, waving his hand in front of her face. "Quinn, are you, like, functional?"

With a snap of her head, she looked at him. "Oh, you're here!" she said, surprised. "Oh, wait, you're here." Her voice was suddenly forlorn, and then she looked like she was going to be sick.

But, Puck tried to act as normal as possible. "Yeah, I'm here. And I woke up even earlier than I normally do so that I could be here on time so I could talk to you about the thing you said we needed to talk about..." She nodded slowly, taking a few deep breaths. "So, you gonna talk, or can I leave? Maybe take a nap in my car?"

Quinn shook her head. "No, we're gonna talk. We need to talk." Puck looked at her with a blank expression. "So, why don't you sit down or something?"

Puck grabbed a chair and placed it in front of the bench, plopping down in it and dropping his back pack on the floor. He stared at Quinn and she stared back, bouncing her foot anxiously. They were silent for a while, both of them just looking at each other, and after a while, Puck sighed. "Come on, Fabray, I know you need to talk to me about the baby, _our _baby, so just say it. Tell me what you need to say." She didn't answer. "Is it dead?" he said suddenly. "Did you have a miscarriage? Is there more than one? Is it deformed?"

"No, no, there's nothing wrong with it... And, you'll be kind of relieved to now that I decided to keep it. I'm not going to give it up for adoption. She's going to be mine... I just needed to tell you about what I decided. When it comes to the father..." Puck felt himself freeze, his breathing stopping and his heart slowing to the pace of a snail. "I've been thinking... And, Puck, you're such a nice person. You care about those you love. I mean, I've seen you with your little sister over the years, especially when she had leukemia and now I see you with Rachel. Puck, she's such a sweet person. I may penalize her all the time and make fun of her for anything I can, but she was nice to me when everyone found out I was pregnant and she welcomed me into the Glee club... So, I don't want to see anything wrong happen with you two. You guys make each other. You complete each other I guess. And, if I were to say that you could be the father, I feel like something awful would happen between the two of you.

"And I love Finn so much, Puck, I do. He's sweet and caring and wonderful and he understands me. I don't want to hurt him either. But, he doesn't know anything about taking care of a baby..."

Puck sighed. "Look, Quinn, just say it. You want Finn to be the father because then everything will work out for you. I could take care of it, sure, and I would be an awesome dad. I know how to take care of people. I did with my sister, and I still do now. But, obviously, you're only thinking about you and not about the little baby in your stomach. So, pick Finn. I mean, come on, Quinn. You've always done what was better for you, how should this be any different. So, do what you want now, I don't care anymore and-"

"No! Puck, shut up!" she said in a loud voice, slapping her hand over his mouth. "I said listen." He let out another sigh and her had fell from his mouth. "Okay, yes, I want to pick Finn because it would be better for me, and I want to pick you because it would be better for the baby... And I do think about me a lot, but right now, I'm thinking about my little girl... Our little girl." He whipped his head to look at her. "Puck, for the baby's father... I chose you." Puck swore he felt his heart stop altogether and move to the general region of his stomach, then to his lungs, then his throat, and back to it's original position. He wanted to barf. "Finn would be a good dad because he would love her and care about her, but you would to that and take care of her too. You'd know what to do. You're responsible, you know how to take control of situations and in general, you know how to take care of babies... And you would be good for her, I know it. So, you're the father, Puck. I'm letting you be her father."

Puck sat there for a few moments, just staring at the blonde sitting next to him. His brain hurt. It felt like it was exploding and imploding at the exact same time, while also eating itself and turning into goop. His hands where shaking slightly and he felt all the color from his face drain from his skin and move to some unknown place. His eyes were burning and his mouth was dry. He couldn't swallow. He was afraid to move.

"Puck? Are... Are you okay? Is something wrong?" He shook his head, the nodded. "... I thought this was what you wanted. You've been telling me over and over again since you found out I was pregnant that you wanted to be the dad. You've been wanting this, and now you have it."

"I just can't handle this right now," he whispered, looking down at the floor. "I can't deal with this at the moment, Quinn."

She made a face. "What do you mean you can't handle this right now? You've been bugging me and bugging me. How can you no handle this right now?"

"I just can't..."

"How. Tell me, Puck, Enlighten me for a moment as to why you can't handle the one thing you've been annoying me about for weeks."

He shot from his chair. "I just can't handle it Quinn! Look at me now! Do I look like I can handle it? You tell me that you want me to be the father? Let's be logical here, Quinn. Neither me or Finn would be able to properly take care of that baby. We're in high school, and we're just learning how countries are at war and that 'Q' equals 'mc' multiplied by the change in time, not how to take care of a baby or raise a family or whatever!"

"This is what you wanted, Puck, It doesn't matter whether or not you're under stress because you don't know how to take care of a baby, but-"

"It's just just that!" he shouted. "It's more than just not knowing how to take care of a baby. I have a girlfriend I love more than anything in the world, and a sister whose cancer is _back._ I can't take care of a baby right now!"

Quinn's face fell. "I... I didn't know, Puck, I'm sorry about Abbey. I don't know what to say, I'm sorry. But, please, think of your baby girl right now." He was about to argue. "Think of your daughter!" she suddenly said, making him go silent.

Puck turned to face her. "Look, I want to be the father, I do... And I'll do it... I just need some time right now to think. To make some plans and just work everything that's going on out, okay? I'm not walking away. I'll be there. I promise. But, I... I just have to go."

Then he turned and scurried from the room, not stopping until he was at his car again.

~*~  
That afternoon, Rachel looked all over for Puck. She spent the better part of her school day calling him multiple times and walking around the school over and over again like the crazy person. She looked around the bleachers, in the chorus room, the auditorium, and by the Dumpsters every five minutes, but he was no where to be found.

She'd texted him a thousand times, but never left him a message in all the times she called, so finally she left a voicemail.

_"Hey, this is Puck. I'm obviously not answering your call because I have better things to do, so __leave a message." _

She rolled her eyes but then the phone beeped and she sighed. "Noah, it's me, Rachel. I don't know where you are, I can't find you anywhere... I just wanted to know if you were okay. Call me back, bye."

Then she hung up her phone and sighed, sliding it into her backpack and then plopping down on the bleachers, crossing her arms over chest and letting her head fall slightly. It was silent for a long time, just the sound of the wind blowing and the trees rustling. Rachel was getting frustrated. He'd left her a note that night saying that he would see her in school and that he would meet her in the bleachers if she wanted too. And here she was, at the football field, waiting for him, calling him, texting him, and he isn't showing up.

Rachel started to think about Puck then. She thought about everything he did. How they were supposed to do a duet together in Glee club. How they didn't agree on a song until she proposed the one they still hadn't fully practiced without getting distracted. How he started hanging out with her and inviting her inside to see his sister and to make dinner with him. How he started kissing her in public and taking her out to restaurants and kissing her in the rain. How he went to her house when he found out this little sister had cancer and how he said he loved her too.

She analyzed it all, down to the very detail, and she started to debate whether or not it was real. Noah Puckerman was the school sex monster. He slept with pretty much every girl in the school, except for her and Quinn Fabray, and there was no way he would never pick a girl like her over a girl like Quinn. Sure, Quinn was taken because she was with Finn and as pregnant with his baby, but that doesn't mean Puck wouldn't try to get in Quinn's pants.

Why would he go with her? She was the school freak and no one really liked her except for Jacob Ben Israel, but he didn't count because he was a creep. So, why would Puck, the hottie of the school and the guy who could get any girl he wanted, go for her?

Suddenly, there was the sound of feet hitting the metal seats, but Rachel didn't look up. "Well, what have we here?" a deep voice said, their shadow looming over her like a dark cloud. "The Freak, sitting alone. What a surprise."

Rachel tilted her head up slightly to see Dave Karoffski standing there with a Big Quench cup in his hand. "Well, as far as I can tell, you're alone too, David. I'm not the only lonely one here right now, am I?" He rolled his eyes. "But, please, just for today, can you leave me alone?" He shook his head. "Haven't you ever had a day where you don't want to talk to anyone and you would rather just be left alone? So, just for one day, can you find it somewhere in your pea brain to give me some sympathy and just walk away?"

"Hell no."

She smirked. "Of course you couldn't. I mean, look at you. You're barbaric and a Neanderthal. You don't have any real emotions, so you just pray on people who you know have them. You're obnoxious and self centered and don't care about anything. You disgust me."

The football player's face scrunched up into something along the lines of a disturbed smirk. "I'm surprised you finally said something, RuPaul..."

"I'm just getting sick of this. So, if you're going to torture me everyday, you might as well know how I actually feel, instead of just Slusheeing me for no apparent reason, you idiotic swine."

"Two can play at this game, can't they, dwarf?" She glared at him and soon, he slowly lifted the cup over her head, tipping it over and dumping the contents into her hair.

Rachel didn't react. She just sat there. The cold ice was soaking into her hair and she could feel the corn syrup start to seep into her sweater. It dripped over her lips and she licked them, tasting the sweet flavor of grape. Then, she nodded, standing up to look at him.

"It's getting old, David... For six years, I've been getting Slushee Facials. They don't phase me anymore. I'm used to them."

"Trying to stand up for yourself Rachel?"

She shook her head, gathering all her hair to one side and wringing out the purple syrup onto his shoes and jacket. "No, not really. I've just had a bad day," she sneered before grabbing her backpack and walking away.

**And so, Puck and Quinn are bother nervous wrecks, Rachel is sick of Slushee Facials and actually had the balls to stand up for herself. It's a big day, everyone, isn't it? Yes, yes, it is. **

**REVIEW PLEASE! TELL ME WHAT YOU THINK OF QUINN'S CHOICE AND PUCK'S REACTION! **


	26. When She Knows Best

**Uh-oh... **

Chapter Twenty-Six: When She Knows Best

_"Noah! Where are you? You're really making me worried now. Please, call me or text me or let me know in _some_way that you're okay... I love you, bye."_

Puck deleted the message from his voicemail and put his phone back on the ground next to him. He was at the lake, in the middle of the day, in November. It was fucking freezing out there. He didn't even know why he was here, really... It wasn't like this place was special or anything. Yeah, sure, it was the place where he first lost his virginity to a sophomore when he was a freshman and it was the first place he let Santana blow him when they made their relationship official until she broke up with him six months later for something about needing good financial support.

Then, after a while of thinking, he remembered why it was special. He'd been coming here to think ever since he was nine, when he found out that Abbey had leukemia. It was risky to come out here alone, but he still did it anyway because he needed to get away.

So, as he sat on the rock he always sat on, Puck threw stick, rocks, anything he could find into the icy water. He didn't want to talk to anyone. He didn't want to see anyone, not even Rachel. If he faced Rachel, he'd have to tell her. He would have to tell her that Quinn's baby was actually his and not Finn's and he would have to tell her that Quinn had picked him to be the father.

Puck let out a sigh, letting his head fall onto his knees as he continuously rubbed his hand over his Mohawk with a frustrated look on his face. He kept going over what had happened only a few minutes ago through his mind. Quinn had texted him earlier in the week to tell him to meet her in the chorus room. That wasn't so hard to believe. Then, she was pacing around and freaking out and being all fidgety, not so bad, but a little worrisome. Then, she said that she wanted him to be the father. And that made his heart drop, then rise again like he was going to barf it up.

Of course he wanted to be. It was his baby, wasn't it? His little girl. His baby girl. His baby. She belonged to him, and no one else, so he should be the father. There was no one else moer fit for the job, except for the dad. And that was him.

But that freaked him out. Puck was seventeen. And he _just _turned seventeen, no less. He was basically just an old sixteen year old. And no sixteen year old can properly take care of a baby... Except for him... Taking care of his sister for all his life made him more than capable of doing something like that.

But, is that what he _really _wanted? To take care of a baby?

Puck looked up at the rippling water that had started to freeze around the edges. "I've just gotten myself into too much shit now."

"You've got that right."

Puck jumped a foot in the air when he heard a voice behind him and he turned around, his hands up in a ninja chop as if that were supposed to help him. But, then he let them fall when he saw Abbegail standing there in sweatpants and a t-shirt, her winter jacket wrapped around her but not zipped.

"Holy shit, you scared me." She grinned at him and sat down on the rock next to him. "What are you doing here?"

"Rachel called home and I picked up..." He scoffed. "Hey, come on. You're the one who disappeared and didn't tell her where you were... But, she said that you weren't at school, and I had a hunch that you would be here." He nodded slowly, running a hand over his Mohawk. "So, what's happened now, Puck?" He shook his head. "Come on, you only come here when something's happened... What's wrong now?"

Puck took a few deep breaths. "Okay, if I tell you, you can't tell anyone, not even Mom, and _especially_ not Rachel... I can't risk anyone finding out. At least, not yet." Abbegail nodded and promised to not tell anyone. "And I'm only telling you because I trust you because you're really the only one I have right now."

"Okay! I promise, now tell me!"

"You know Quinn?" Abbey nodded. "She's keeping the baby and she said she wanted me to be the dad."

His little sister froze. Puck actually saw her back go ridged and her eyes widened, her mouth dropping nearly to the ground. He nodded slowly as her hands gripped at the legs to her sweatpants and her body just going completely still.

Puck nodded slowly. "Yeah, I know... That's what I said." Abbey bit her lip, wrapping the jacket closer around her body. "You wouldn't happen to have any booze in there, would you? I know that coat is like freaking Mary Poppin's bag, so..."

"Yeah, Puck, I just have some Jack Daniels hidden away in this pocket for emergency times," she said sarcastically, reaching into her pocket and pretending to take out a bottle of liquor.

He waved his hand. "No problem at all. Lucky for me, I have a stow away." He reached behind him and started removing stones from a pile of rocks before producing a bottle of the brown alcohol. "From the last time I was hear, when I found out Quinn was pregnant." He unscrewed the cap and raised the bottle at her. "Cheers."

He took one swig of the liquor, but before the bottle could even leave his lips, Abbey snatched it away, making some excess whiskey fall from the bottle and onto his jeans. "Mm!" he said, looking down at his pant leg.

She just rolled her eyes. Puck tried to take it back, but she held it from his reach. When he stretched for it again, she flung it into the water, the glass bottle making a splashing noise before it sunk to the bottom of the pond.

He swallowed the alcohol that had been in his mouth and he gave her a look of astonishment. "What the hell did you do that for? You just threw my fucking booze into the water!"

Abbey shook her head. "You're going to be a dad... You can't deal with stuff like this through alcohol, Puck. You've got to be mature."

"No, no, no. I've got to be mature later. Right now, I need my Jack Daniel's." Abbey just stared at him. "You could have at least put the cap back on it so I could go get it later. Now all the alcohol is all over the pond. That could kill the fish. Or the frogs."

"For someone who comes here often, you don't know shit about this place. There aren't any fish or frogs or anything in this pond. There was a chemical that was put into the water three years ago. There's nothing here..."

Puck glared at her for a few moments. "Whatever. You still threw my escape goat into the water." Abbey raised an eyebrow at him. "I need that right now, Abbey. I just found out that the girl I knocked up wants me to be the father. But she's dating my best friend. And I'm dating Rachel. Who Quinn hates. Do you see the problems here."

"I do, yes, Puck, but the better thing to do, instead of drinking, is maybe to think about what you're going to do... Maybe form a plan, like, how are you going to take care of this baby? Are you going to get a job, since you never go to work at the 7-11 and I'm pretty sure that means you're fired?" Puck ran a hand over his Mohawk in frustration. "Are you going to tell Rachel soon? And if so, how will you tell her? Are you going to tell Finn? Or is Quinn going to tell Finn? How are you going to be providing support for your baby, and her mother?"

"Okay, I get it, Abbey, I get it. There are a lot of things I need to think over. And a lot of things that I need to figure out. But, I don't know how to figure them out. I don't know what I'm going to do, let alone _how _I'm going to do it. And what should be done first? Should we tell everyone that it's actually my baby, or should we wait until everyone just figures it out? If we let people figure it out, how will I take care of things, like bills or furniture for the baby, without Finn finding something strange when he's not paying for any of it? Will I tell Rachel? And if I do, how will she react? Will she break up with me, or try to help? Like, what the fuck!"

Abbey stared at her brother while he was going on his rant about what will happen when, and why. She didn't know what to say to him. He was sitting there, just sitting on the rock and staring at the water like a crazy person. His knees were bouncing at twenty miles an hour and his hands were fidgeting with the zipper to his sweatshirt.

Abbey gave him a worried look, chewing on her lip nervously. "Are... Are you alright?"

He snapped his head up to look at her. "No... Abbey, I'm not okay... I'm going to be a dad." Abbey nodded slowly, reached up to stroke her thumb across his cheek a few times. "I'm sixteen. I can't be a dad."

She gave him a soft smile. "Yes, you can. And do you want to know why?" He gave her a puppy dog look. "Because you are amazing... Because you can."  
~*~

At the end of the day, Rachel was walking down the hall, checking the time on her cell phone every three seconds. The school was buzzing with kids, a lot of people talking with their friends, while some football players were throwing around a football, running around the halls and laughing at people who they his with the ball.

But, Rachel stayed out of the way. She had reached her locker, her face turned to the metal door so she wouldn't get his with a Slushee for the second time today. She'd changed into an extra skirt and sweater that she had shoved into the way back of her locker, the outfit she hadn't needed for at least three weeks.

"Come on, Noah, call me back. You're making me worried," she said to her cell phone, shaking it in her hand once, as if that were going to make it ring, or at least buzz once to say that she got a text message. "Call, call, call."

Rachel was about to call him again when someone bumped into her, making her cell phone fly out of her hand and slide across the floor, thirty feet away from her. Instantly, she slammed her locker door and scrambled after it, getting jostled around by the people in the hallway. She saw someone stop next to her phone and pick it up, and she silently cursed to herself when she saw that it was Quinn.

Walking toward the blonde, she held her hands politely in front of her. She was about to say something when Quinn suddenly spoke. "Is this your phone?" Rachel nodded, biting the inside if her lip. "Oh, well, here," she said, handing the smaller girl her cell phone back.

"Oh... Um, thank you." Quinn nodded and started to walk away. "You're not going to make me do something utterly embarrassing and reputation ruining?"

Quinn turned around and faced Rachel. "No, not today. I'm not in the mood." Rachel's brow creased and she looked closer at Quinn. She could hear the stuffiness in her nose. Her eyes were red and she had a look on her face that screamed tired, worn out, and hurt.

Rachel let out a sigh. "Do you want to talk about it?" she said in a quiet voice, clutching her phone in her hand.

The blonde looked at her for a moment, her fingers silently snapping at her sides before she let her shoulders slump. "I can't talk about it. Not with you." Rachel's brow furrowed and she felt kind of hurt. She knew that Quinn didn't like her, it wasn't an unknown fact or anything of the sort, but the fact that she specified that she couldn't talk about what was bothering her with Rachel is what made her upset.

"Why, Quinn? Don't you need someone to talk to?"

"Yes, but not... Not you."

Rachel bit the inside of her cheek again. "Why not?"

Quinn's lip trembled and her eyes reddened again. "Because I can't talk to you. I don't want... I don't want to ruin anything, Rachel, so, please, just leave me alone."

And then she turned and pushed herself into the crowd of people, easily hiding from the small brunette she had been talking to before.

"Just breathe, Quinn," she said to herself, straightening her top and holding her binders as close to her body as she could, trying to hide the barely noticeable baby bump that had begun to form on her stomach. "Ignore it. She probably won't come after you, so you don't have to worry."

Quinn veered off suddenly from the crowd, finding herself in the auditorium, staring at the stage. She loved being in the theatre, with the spot lights flashing at you and the whole crowd watching. It was like when she was on the field at cheer practice, but better. When on the stage, she was able to be alone. Just her, just the microphone, just the spot light.

Just her.

Slowly, Quinn walked over to the light board. She remembered learning about how to work one when she was in tech class freshman year. Cautiously, hoping she was reaching for the right switch, she flicked it up, making the spot lights for the stage flash on, but it was only one, right in the center of the stage. She smiled to herself because she actually had turned on the right light, and then moved around the light table, walking down the aisle and to the stage.

A microphone was resting on the floor, probably from when Rachel had been practicing earlier, and when she picked it up, there was quiet feedback and made her cringe slightly. Suddenly Quinn heard footsteps, but then Brad came into the theatre, a confused look on his face. But she just gave him a small smile and he shrugged, going to sit at the piano.

"Could you play 'Trouble With The Truth'?" she said quietly, biting her lip.

He nodded, but said nothing, and began to play the song as Quinn turned around to face the empty audience.

Oh the trouble with the truth  
Is it's always the same ol' thing  
So hard to forget  
So impossible for me to change  
Everytime I try to fight it  
I know I'll be left to blame  
Oh the trouble with the truth  
Is it's always the same ol' thing

Quinn looked up at the light that was shining on her, her heart beat seeming to slow as she let the lyrics wash over her live a wave.

And the trouble with the truth  
Is it's just what I need to hear  
Ringing so right deep down inside my ear  
And it's everything I want  
And it's everything I fear  
Oh the trouble with the truth  
Is it's just what I need to hear

It has ruined the taste of the sweetest lies  
Burned through my best alibis  
Every sin that I deny  
Keeps hanging 'round my door  
Oh the trouble with the truth  
Is it always begs for more  
Thats the trouble trouble with the truth  
Thats the trouble trouble with the truth

She felt like someone was watching her. Not Brad, obviously, since he was playing the piano, but someone else, in the audience. Someone who she couldn't see. A shadow, like the shadow being help over her, the truth.

And the trouble with the truth  
Is it just won't let me rest  
I run and hide but there's always another test  
And I know that it won't let me be  
'Till i've given it my best  
The trouble with the truth  
Is it just won't let me rest

Thats the trouble trouble with the truth  
Thats the trouble trouble with the truth  
Thats the trouble trouble with the truth  
Thats the trouble trouble with the truth

When Quinn finally fell silent, there was clapping that suddenly filled the auditorium, and Quinn dropped the microphone on the ground, startled. It made a hollow 'thunk' that echoed though the theatre and with that noise, Quinn prayed to God that it wasn't Rachel.

Lifting her arm to shield her eyes, Quinn only saw the silhouette of the person standing at the door. At first, she thought it was Santana or Brittany, but after looking closer, she realized the person was too short to be either of them.

"That was wonderful, Quinn. Really, really beautiful."

The blonde watched as the small brunette walked down the aisle to the edge of the stage. "What are you doing here, RuPaul? I thought I ditched you."

"I wanted to talk to you."

"Sucks for you, then, because you can't."

Rachel walked even closer to Quinn. "You... You said you didn't want to ruin anything. What did you mean by that? Ruin what? And with whom?"

Quinn shook her head. "Ask all the questions you want, Rachel, but I'm not going to tell you anything. You'll have to bother me for years before I tell you a thing."

"I can do that. I have been bothering you since first grade. I'll just keep asking you. And asking and bothering and asking." Quinn just stood there. "Why can you tell me, Quinn? Don't you need someone to talk to?"

She snorted. "Yeah, but not you," she snapped, and Rachel's face fell even more. "Santana would be better than you."

Rachel nodded once. "Fine, Quinn, if you want to be so stuck up about this than fine. I'll just keep asking and asking and asking..." She started walking away. "And asking and asking and asking and asking." Rachel was half way up the aisle now, her hands held innocently behind her back and Quinn knew she was making a mistake. Or, at the very least, she was about to. "And asking and asking and-"

"Wait!"

Rachel stopped in her tracks and spun around. "Yes?" she asking, drawing it out slowly.

Quinn squeezed her eyes shut and let out a quick sigh. "Let's talk, Rachel," she said as she opened her eyes again. "But, promise me, no matter what I say, you won't change anything about what's going on with you and Puckerman."

The brunette's face dropped. "What are you talking about? What's going on with Noah?"

Quinn bit her lip.  
~*~

"Please say something," Quinn said, wringing her hands together nervously. "You're making me want to hurl..."

Rachel stared straight ahead. She didn't move, but her eyes were frozen wide, her lips pressed into a tight line. Gripping the arm rests of the chair she was siting in while Quinn while Quinn was next to her, wanting to gauge her eyes out with a spoon. Rachel on the other hand, wanted to set herself on fire. Her body felt like it was going to burst into fire at any moment.

"Please, please say something."

Slowly, Rachel turned her head to look at Quinn. "So, Finn isn't the father of your baby?" she said in monotone, her lips barely moving as she spoke. "And Noah is?" Quinn's forehead creased together, and even though she didn't say anything, Rachel took it as a yes. "And you slept with him while you were still with Finn because you were drunk because you felt fat even though you're the skinniest girl in the school?" Her forehead creased even more. "And you decided to keep the baby, as well as let Noah be the father, because he wanted to?"

Quinn's eyes burned, and her chin began to wobble. "I know, Rachel... I know it sounds really bad," she said, her voice choking every other word as the hot tears began to slide down her cheeks. "And, believe me, I was thinking of you and Puck when I made this decision, but I was also thinking about my daughter. Finn, even though he's such an amazing person and is very caring, doesn't know anything about taking care of a baby... Puck has been raising his little sister since he was ten." Rachel, eyes still wide, nodded slowly. "He would be better for her. I'm just so sorry."

"Why are you sorry?" Rachel said, turning her whole body to face Quinn.

"Because I just don't know what to do now. I shouldn't have told you and now you and Puck are going to be different. I just... It's all so awful, and it's my fault."

Rachel put her hand on Quinn's. "Quinn, the only way things would be different between me and Noah were to be if we decided to make them different," Rachel said, trying to soothe the sobbing teenager in front of her. "Nothing bad will happen between me and Noah, unless we ourselves make them different." The words seemed to roll of Rachel's tongue like nothing involving her boyfriend and a baby had happened. She felt like she was lying to Quinn. Maybe she was.

"What do you mean by that?"

"Well, it's not like Noah cheated on me, is it? No, it's not. You were pregnant before Noah and I were even speaking civilly to each other."

Quinn's lip wobbled. "Yeah, I know, but now I'm letting him be the father and things are going to change between you two because he's going to have to take care of a baby now, and my baby no less, and it's all my fault!" she wailed, crumpling into a ball and sobbing into her hands.

Rachel didn't know what to do. Quinn wasn't her friend. How was she supposed to rightfully comfort this bawling teenager in the right way if she wasn't even her friend? She wasn't supposed to, that's how. This wasn't supposed to happen... None of this was. Her boyfriend wasn't supposed to have a baby with his best friend's girlfriend. Quinn wasn't supposed to be crying her eyes out in the auditorium with a shocked Rachel not knowing how to comfort her. Puck wasn't supposed to have a baby.

Suddenly, out of nowhere, Rachel scooted closer to Quinn before wrapping her arms around her shoulders. Rachel held Quinn tightly, stroking her perfectly made ponytail as the blonde shifted and began crying into Rachel's sweater.

"Shh, it's okay, Quinn, it's okay. Just take a few deep breaths, relax... You'll be alright. You can do this."

Quinn shook her head. "I can't. This isn't how it's meant to go. Finn should be the father. Finn should have been the one I first slept with. Finn should be everything to me, just like Puck is everything to you. Now, that's ruined because Puck is the father. And it just shouldn't be like this. I messed everything up, Rachel, and I'm sorry."

Rachel lifted Quinn's chin to make the girl look at her. "Stop saying you're sorry. I don't want to hear it anymore. You're Quinn Fabray, you should never be sorry, especially if all you're sorry for is a mistake. A stupid mistake made on a stupid impulse and the impulse wasn't even your fault—It was Noah's." Quinn's face scrunched up. "He's stupid, Quinn." The blonde let out a small laugh. "I love him but even I can admit that he's really dumb and does really immature things. This being one of them." A sigh escaped Quinn and she looked at Rachel with sad eyes. "You can do this, I promise."

"How do you know?"

"Because you're Quinn. Captain of the Cheerios and one of four lead vocals in glee club. You have all honors classes and practically half the school is friends with you. You can do this... Because you can."

**Ah, ah, see what I did there? Ended Puck's scene with Abbey the same exact way as Rachel's scene with Quinn. Hahaha, I know I'm wicked clever. **

**REVIEW! **

**P.S. I know that Rachel is really OOC in this chapter, but just go with it. I have a plan. **


	27. A Dream You Have

**Yes, everyone. I know you're all, like, 'What?' It's shocking, I know. But, bear with me here, okay? Please? **

Chapter Twenty-Seven: A Dream You Have

School was over. And had been for a very long time. Rachel sat very still in the auditorium, her hands placed neatly in her lap as she stared straight ahead, still trying to mull over what Quinn had told her nearly two hours ago.

She'd been saying it aloud to herself for a long time, just repeating, "Quinn is pregnant. The baby is not Finn's, it's Noah's. But, it happened before Noah and I were together."

Then, suddenly she sat up as straight as she could and gripped the armrests to the seat. "But, he didn't tell me. He kept it a secret. He didn't tell me. Why didn't he tell me?" Rachel slumped in her seat, letting her head fall back. "He didn't tell me…" She closed her eyes and let out a long breath. She wanted to go find Puck and tell him she knew, tell him she was frustrated that he never told her.

She remembered Quinn had asked her to do a lot of things, and Rachel had agreed, not really understanding what was going on. Then Quinn had left, leaving Rachel alone and completely lost. She felt as though someone had taken out her stomach, shown it to her, then ran away. She felt like the wanted to throw up, then sleep for a thousand years.

"Oh, God," she said, covering her face with her hands before jumping up from her chair and straightening her skirt. "I've got to go find him."

She ran from the auditorium, grabbing her backpack along the way before dashing to the parking lot and climbing into her little blue Yaris. She headed over to Puck's house, driving fast, but at the same time slowly, pulling over to the side of the road when she was almost there. She turned off her car and let her head call against the top of the steering wheel, which she gripped tightly in her hands. After a while, she started lifting her head up and letting it fall back onto the wheel, doing this repeatedly until she heard footsteps.

"Christ, Rachel, what the hell are you doing?" an all too familiar voice said, someone tapping their fingers on the hood of her car.

She looked out the open window and saw Puck standing there, a smirk on his face. "You…" she said in a low voice, climbing out of her car and pushing at his chest. "You absolute-" Push "complete-" Push "utter-" Push "immature-" Push "and, not to mention filthy, a-"

"Asshole?" he finished for her, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Yes!" she said in a frustrated voice. "Asshole. I don't swear, Noah, but when I do, it's- You know that... Why didn't you tell me?" Rachel said, her voice wavering. Tears started trailing down her cheeks as she starting hitting his chest with every word. "Why, why, why didn't you tell me?"

He started walking back and she followed him, continuing to hit his chest. "Whoa, Rachel, slow down. Tell you what?"

"Why did you tell me!" It wasn't a question anymore. She just kept saying it over and over again, hitting his chest and crying. "Why, why, why?" she said, hitting him harder.

"Whoa, Rachel, calm down!" he said sharply, grabbing her wrists and holding them tightly to try to get her to stop. "What are you talking about?"

Rachel tried to fight against time, not answering and only cried, finally just collapsing into his chest and sobbing into his shirt. "You didn't tell me," she whispered, clutching his shirt in her hands. "How could you not tell me?"

Puck was silent for a moment, rubbing her back with one hand and stroking her hair with the other. Then, it dawned on him and he felt his eyes start to sting. _Oh, shit,_ he thought to himself, letting his head fall back as he looked at the sky for a split second before he rested it on Rachel's, his temple pressed against her hair.

"I'm sorry, Rachel…" he said quietly, holding her closer to himself. "I'm so, so sorry."

"You didn't tell me…" Puck bit down hard on the inside of his cheek. "Why didn't you tell me, Noah?"

He tilted her chin up and looked at her with sincere eyes. "Rachel, I didn't want to tell you. I was afraid I'd lose you… I mean, I'm just… I'm so sorry." Her lip quivered and he felt like someone had kicked him in the gut because he knew she was crying because of him. "Rachel, please, please don't cry… I'm sorry, just don't cry, please."

"But, you didn't tell me…" she said. That's all she said, 'You didn't tell me.' And Puck could only look at her with a sad look, holding her tightly against his body. "You didn't tell me."

"I know, I know… I know I didn't tell you, and Rachel, I hope that you can forgive me… Please, please, forgive me," he said, resting his forehead against hers. "I don't know what else I can do, I'm just so sorry… Is there anything I can do to show how sorry I am to you, Rachel?"

She closed and opened her eyes slowly. "Tell me. Tell me yourself… Tell me about it yourself."

He nodded once, pulling away from her but he kept his hands on her waist. "Rachel, before you and I were together, and way before we were even interested in each other, I slept with Quinn…" he said slowly, holding her hips tighter in his hands. "Both of us were drunk, and I was stupid. So, Quinn got pregnant-" He took a deep breath "-And I'm the father."

More tears fell from Rachel's eyes and he felt like the Hulk had just grabbed his stomach, twisted it into a knot, than put it back. He knew the tears were because of him.

"I'm just really sorry…" She nodded, and moved in to hug him, wrapping her arms around his neck and crying into his chest again. "Come on, Rach. Let's go to my house. I'll make you some tea and we can watch some TV, okay?"

Rachel looked at him and sniffled, following him to the car. He held the passenger side door open for her and before she climbed in, she turned to him and kissed him quickly on the lips, lingering for a moment before looking him in the eyes. "Thank you for telling me," she said, kissing him again.

She was about to pull away but he quickly brought his hands up to her face, kissing her deeply, one of his hands moving down to the small of her back to pull her closer to him. After a moment, she placed her hands on either side of his face and pulled him away, resting her forehead against his.

"I love you, Noah," she said, hiccupping in between her words.

He smiled. "I love you, too, Rachel," he whispered back, kissing her nose before letting her get into her car, shutting the door for her and walking around the front, climbing into the driver's side and pulling onto the road again, driving back to his house to make Rachel a cup of tea.

"So, she knows?" Abbegail said, pacing back and forth in front of Puck in the living room. He was sitting on the three seat couch, while she was walking in front of the dining room table.

He nodded. "Yeah, she knows."

"Mm-hm. And, she's okay with it?"

Puck shifted in his seat, rubbing the back of his neck. "I don't know. I mean, she cried for, like, two hours. And I made her tea. I don't make people tea, Abbs. I don't even make myself tea, though I think I may start." She laughed once, turning around at the fire place and heading back toward the love seat. "I like tea."

"Yes, that's nice, Puck." He nodded once, getting back into the conversation about Rachel. "Well, did she say anything? She wasn't like, 'You bastard' or anything like that?" Puck shook his head. "And she didn't call you a self centered, unemotional prick?"

He glared at her. "Just because you would call me that doesn't mean she would, Abbey, okay?" he said, holding one hand up to her as if she were crossing a line. "She said I was an asshole, though. Well, I kind of filled it in for her, but whatever. Anyway, why does all this matter? She seemed to be fine once she had her tea and she stopped crying. I think she'll be okay."

Abbegail stopped in front of him and placed her hands on her hips. "Are you sure she's okay?" she said, raising an eyebrow at him. Puck nodded, and leaned back, relaxed. "Oh, good." They were quiet for a moment, then she pushed her hair over her shoulders. "So, you wanna help me clean my room?"

"Eh… I don't think so, Abbey… I mean, I have better things that I could be doing. I shouldn't have to help you clean your room." She pouted her lip and looked at her through her eyelashes, batting them quickly a few times. "Don't give me that look…" Abbey pouted her lip further. "Oh, alright, fine!"

"Yay!" she said, clapping her hands once before marching off to her room. Puck sat there for a minute, biting his lip. "Puck!" she screamed down the stairs and he jumped in his seat, getting up from the couch and upstairs to her room.

He took one look at her floor and winced. "Holy crap, Abbegail. Did the Loony Tunes Tasmanian Devil pay you a visit?" he said, kicking aside some books and clothes so he could walk in. "This is, like, ridiculous."

She glared at him. "Oh, shush. I was looking for one of my favorite shirts and I couldn't find it."

"Did you?" Abbey nodded and picked up the _Harry Potter _books that littered the floor. "Where was it?"

"In the laundry room." Puck laughed and put his hands on his hips. "Hey, can you pick up those papers and put them in the crate over there?" she asked, pointing to the binders and pieces of lined paper in the corner of the room by her desk. "All the stuff that's dated before oh-nine can be thrown out."

He nodded and walked over to her desk, opening her iTunes and playing the _Wicked _soundtrack before going through all the papers. Everything that was labeled after 2009 he threw out and the two of them were singing along to _What Is This Feeling_ when he found a piece of paper that caught his eye.

"Hey, what's this?" Puck said, looking over the paper. "'My Dream List'?"

Abbey dropped the books she had in her arms and took the two necessary steps to cross the room and try to snatch it away from him. "Come on, Puck, seriously, give it to me."

He gave her a snide grin. "No, no! Let's read this." She lunged for it but he stood up and held it over his head. "Hey, watch it, Abbegail. You never know what could happen if you lunge at someone like that. You could poke out their eye." Abbey narrowed her eyes. "So, we should definitely read this because you could have impaled my eye with your scary fingernails."

Abbey looked down at her nails, which were worn down from her biting them all the time. "My fingernails aren't scary," she said defensively.

Puck froze for a split second. "Well, whatever. Either way, we should read this."

"Ugh, fine," she said, sitting on her bed next to her brother. "But… Don't laugh."

He grinned and flattened the paper against his knee before clearing his throat. "'My Dream List' by Abbegail Mason Puckerman."

"I think I'm going to shoot you," she said in monotone, giving him a blank stare.

"That's okay, as long as I get to read this." She let her shoulders fall and he continued. "Number One: Have a self-choreographed dance to Slow Me Down, sung by Rachel." He looked at her. "Abbey, this is dated for two years ago… You didn't know Rachel then."

"I've been doing some updating."

"Ah," he said, nodding wisely. "Okay, Number Two: Sing in glee club at least once… Very wise, very wise. Number Three: Go to Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico and Utah, and walk around the square, to be in all four states in less than five minutes. … Is that possible?"

She nodded. "Yeah, I checked."

"Oh, okay. Number Four: Face my-"

He was about to go on when the phone rang. The both looked at each other and then Abbey touched her finger to her nose, making it so Puck has to answer the phone. With a sigh, he rose from her bed and bounded down the stairs, going to the rectangular seventy's style phone that was hanging on the wall.

"Hello?" he said casually, leaning against the kitchen table, resting his arm across his stomach and his elbow on his hand. "Oh, hey, Quinn…" Abbey's ears perked up and she walked over to him, pulling the phone away from his ear slightly so she could listen. "No, go away," he mouthed, motioning for her to back off but she just punched him in the arm and leaned against the table with him, moving the phone so the thin side was against his face.

"Hey, Puck," Quinn said in a quiet voice. "Listen, I, uh, just needed to ask you something…"

He rolled his eyes. "Why are you whispering?"

"Because," she hissed, the sound of a door shutting. "I'm at Finn's house so I have to talk quietly."

"…Why?"

"Because I don't want him to _hear _me! Duh." They were silent for a minute. "I'll just go outside though. Hang on a second." There was some shuffling around and then she sighed. "Okay. It's freezing. But I'm outside. And I can talk normally."

He cleared his throat. "So, yeah. What's up?"

"Well, nothing big… I just, uh, have an ultrasound appointment next week and I just… Wanted to know if you would come." The two of them were silent. They looked at each other sideways and she raised her eyebrows once and nodded, telling him to say yes. "Puck? Are you going to come?"

"Um, yeah, sure." He heard her sigh, as if relieved. "Uh, what time?"

"Right after school. Could you drive me there?"

Puck didn't answer at first. He knew that he should hang out with Rachel after school, since he completely ditched her today. "Oh, I don't kn-" Abbey elbowed him in the ribs. "Yeah, okay. Sure, I'll drive you." He suddenly froze. "Wait, what about Finn?"

"He and his mom are going to Dayton that day. Visiting his grandma in the nursing home or something." Puck nodded even though she couldn't see him. "So, I'll see you then, right?"

"Yep."

"Okay… Bye."

Then she hung up on him before he could even say anything else. Puck put the phone back in the cradle and turned to his sister, who had started to boil tea in the electric kettle. She poured the water into two mugs, dunking the teabags for a while before adding sugar and milk. Puck sat down in one of the kitchen chairs, taking the mug she handed him.

"Okay, so, an ultrasound… You're finally going to get to go," Abbey said, sitting across from him. "Even when she said that she was never going to let you go."

Puck nodded, taking a sip from the mug before speaking. "Yep. Feel's cool. And I'm finally going to see her." Abbey smiled. "Okay, back to the list."

"Oh, god!"

"Number Four: Face my fear of heights by skydiving." Abbey let her head drop on the table. "Number Five: Horseback ride. Hey, that's a good one."

"Thanks," she said in a dead voice into the table. "But, I would really appreciate it if we could stop reading this.'

Abbegail tried to reach for it but he held it out of her reach. "Oh, I don't think so. You almost impaled my eye. We read on. Number Six: Jump off a water fall… Hmm… Interesting." Abbey started banging her head repeatedly on the table. "Number Seven: Swim with dolphins." She started hitting it louder. "Number Eight: Say something on the radio then play a song. Hang on, Abbey, that's really good."

She sat up and looked at the clock. "Puck, I really don't want to-" She stopped suddenly, looking at the clock right behind his head. "Puck… It's nine o'clock. It's- We've- Ah!" she said, jumping up from the table and scampering to the TV room. "You know how I wanted to see Walk The Line?"

"Uh… Yeah?" he said, following her in.

"Well, they're showing it on channel twenty-five… And we have to watch it."

"No!" he said, standing in front of the TV with his arms held out at his sides. "No, no… No!" Abbey stomped her foot. "Come on, Abbey. We're reading this. You've got some really good stuff on here."

She picked up the remote. "Step away from the television," Abbey warned, holding it like a light saber and pointing it at him. "You don't want to read the list… You want to step away from the TV," she said, moving her hand ominously, trying to use the Force on him. "Puck, seriously, I want to watch this!"

He groaned. "Well, I want to read the list. We can just record it, okay?" Her shoulder slumped. "Seriously, let's record it. We can watch it later…"

"Ugh, fine!" she said, throwing the remote at him. He caught it, turning on the TV and going to the channel she said it was playing on, and programmed it to record. "Happy now?" she said as he turned off the TV.

Puck did a big nod. "Yeah. Now, pop a squat. We're finishing this list." Abbey flopped down on the couch. "Okay, Number Nine: Do Trapeze. Very nice. A wise choice," he said, stretching his legs out and resting them near Abbey. "Number Ten: Make a bottle tree." Puck gave her a confused face. "What the fuck is a bottle tree?"

"It's when you find a really big oak tree in, like, the middle of nowhere, but it's one that people can see, and you have all these bottles hanging from it. I saw it in the _Princess and the Frog _during that song that the crazy, blind old lady sings."

"… Okay then. Number Eleven: Get the tragus of my ear pierced?" Abbey nodded. "That's the little part sticking out here," he said, pointing to his ear. She nodded again. "You do realize that that would hurt like balls, don't you?"

Abbey rolled her eyes. "Yeah, it probably would, but I'm betting that little ring that is grotesquely attached to your chest hurt like balls too."

Puck laughed once. "It did, yes, but I was drunk when I got it so I sort of didn't feel anything."

"Wait, hang on. You were drunk, which is why you got it, or you got drunk so you _could _get it."

"I was drunk so I could get it." Abbey snorted, trying to hide a laugh. "What?"

"Nothing, nothing." Puck arched an eyebrow at her. "It's just… You always boast about how you are, like, the manliest man ever, but you had to get drunk so you wouldn't wuss out on getting a body piercing."

He glared at her. "That is _not _true."

"Oh, it's not? Then, why did you have to get drunk to get it?"

Puck was silent for a very long time, drumming his fingers on his knee. "We'll continue on then, shall we?" Abbey, though still laughing, nodded and waved him on. "Number Twelve: Ride in a hot air balloon."

"I feel like that one's the most realistic one. That or the horseback riding."

"Yes, well, I'm sure… Number Thirteen…"

A half an hour later, Puck and Abbey were lying with their heads hanging off the side of the couch, reading the last few things on her list. In that half hour, they'd discovered that Abbey wanted to go scuba diving, steal a street sign, do a flash mob, drive a go-cart and dance in the middle of the street with her true love.

"I cannot believe that you want to dance in the road with Grant," Puck said, letting the paper fall backwards onto his stomach.

"Well, I watched _The Notebook…_ It was a good movie and I really liked that scene, okay?" He rolled his eyes. "Hey, don't give me that! You like that movie too!"

Puck rolled his eyes. "Well, whatever. Moving on…" She gave him a firm but awkward upside down nod. "Number Eighteen: Have a midnight sneak out adventure with Puck. Well, may I say that that is quite a reasonable goal since I'm your brother and it is very possible that that will happen." Abbey shrugged. "Alrighty, Number Nineteen: Do 'Things to do in Wal-Mart when you're bored' list… Very nice, very nice."

"I found a really good list online. Kae sent it to me. It was fantastic."

"Gotcha. Oh, hey, this is the last one. Number Twenty: Meet the…" Puck stopped and swallowed. "Meet the baby." Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Abbey close her eyes and bite her lip. Slowly, he sat up and turned to look at her. "Why did you put that on there?"

His little sister sat up too and sat next to him, crossing her legs like a first grader. "Because… Dr. Martin said that… That it would probably be best if I made of list of things I wanted to do before the summer." Puck looked at her. "Just, um, just in case."

Puck put his arms around her and pulled her close to him, giving her a long hug. "There isn't going to be a 'just in case'. Nothing's gonna happen to you."

She sighed, but sank into her brother, her head resting on his chest. "But, you don't know that," she said so quietly that he couldn't hear. "You just don't know."

~*~  
Quinn was laying on her bed, reading her mother's old copy of _Sense & Sensibility, _the only thing she had secretly taken from her house, when there was a knock on her door. She put her finger on the sentence she stopped on and turned her head toward the door.

"Come in," she said in a surprisingly bright voice, letting the book fall onto her lap while she pressed her finger against the page.

Finn appeared in the spare bedroom, holding a silver gift bag in his hands. "Hey," he said quietly, standing awkwardly in the doorway. "Can I come in? Fully?"

She smiled, putting a bookmark in between the pages and setting the book on her nightstand. "Of course," she said, patting the spot on the bed next to her. "Have a seat."

He walked in and sat down next to her, setting the bag on the floor. "Hey, Quinn?" She looked at him with innocently raised eyebrows. "I just wanted to give you something. And apologize."

"For what?"

"Well, I don't know if I'm just imagining it, or if I'm actually doing it, but I feel like I haven't been around a lot lately, you know? I've been really busy with football and trying to be smart in school so I can get a scholarship from at least _one _of them, or both, so I can be able to support our baby girl…" The smile on her lips faded slightly when he said 'our baby girl', and she tried as best she could to keep the smile. "And, I know that you need me to be around, to be there for you through all of this, and I'm trying. I really, really am."

Quinn scooted closer to him, her knee touching his hip. "What are you talking about, Finn? You've been there."

"What?" he said in a genuinely confused voice. "Quinn, the last time I saw you was two days ago… And you _live _here." She laughed silently, bringing her hand up and stroke his cheek once. "So, anyway. I got you something."

Quinn bit her lip and smiled bigger when Finn handed her the silver bag. "You got me something?" He nodded and waited for her to open the bag. She took the tissue paper out and threw it at him lightly, laughing when he threw it back in her face. Then, she reached into the bag and pulled out a white and pink pacifier which was being held in the hands of a soft, yellow teddy bear. "Wow, Finn…" she said quietly, taking the pacifier from the bear and reading what the block letters said. 'My Baby Girl'. She felt tears spring to her eyes. "Wow."

Her voice was wavering and then Finn was nervous, looking at her with wide and frantic eyes. "Oh, no, Quinn, is it wrong? Should I take it back? I-"

"No, no, no, Finn," she said, holding both of them closer to her. "They're perfect. These are… They're-"

"Happy tears?" he said hopefully, his eyes brightening slightly.

She nodded and leaned forward, kissing him lightly on the lips. "Thank you, Finn. This was so sweet of you. It really means a lot." Quinn got up from the bed and over to the dresser. The top was basically empty except for a hair brush and a small decorative bowl of hair ties, as well as the gift Finn had given her when they first found out she was pregnant. She placed the bear and the pacifier next to Finn's Gee Gee, adjusting it until it looked perfect.

She turned back to him and smiled, taking his face in both her hands and leaning down, kissing him again. "I love you, Finn Hudson."

"I love you, too, Quinn Fabray."

Quinn smiled and looked at the clock on her night stand, seeing that it was almost midnight. "I should probably get to bed." She sniffed, wiping under her eyes, even though she could feel more tears building up behind her eyes. "I have a math test first thing tomorrow," she said, letting her hands drop to her sides. "I need to get some sleep."

"Yeah, me too." He stood up and put his hands on her hips. He kissed her cheek then walked around her and opened the door. "Good night, Quinn."

"Good night, Finn."

When the door was shut behind him, Quinn changed out of her Cheerio's uniform and hung it up in the closet, making sure that no other clothes were touching it before she got into a pair of pajama pants and a hoodless sweatshirt that belonged to Finn. She tossed her hair into a messy bun then climbed into bed, a pillow on her lap.

Quinn turned off her bedside lamp, and waited until she saw the hall light go out before she pressed her face into the pillow and began to sob.

**Yessir. That's right. Review. That's an order! ;) **


	28. I'm Keeping My Baby

**I hope y'all liked the last chapter. Seemed like you did. :) I hope you like this one, too. :) **

Chapter Twenty-Eight: I'm Keeping My Baby

Puck woke up on Monday morning the next week, looking up at his ceiling and thinking about the ultrasound appointment he had to go to today. He half wanted to skip it. After the appointment, and after he dropped Quinn off back at Finn's house, he had to go to a job interview, because Abbey, not Quinn, was pressuring him to do everything he could to support and take care of both Quinn and the baby. Not that he wanted to work at a big, awful store or anything like that, but if he got the job at Gray's Hardware—which is by the way the most pathetic name for a store ever—at least he would be able to play on the electric moving equipment.

He sat up and rubbed his eyes, yawned, then threw the blankets off his legs. "Oh, god, another day in hell," he mumbled to himself, swinging his legs over the side of the bed as he fumbled to put on his glasses. He stretched again, scratched the back of his neck and walked out of his room, his sweatpants hanging loosely around his waist. He pattered down the stairs and to the kitchen, where he proceeded to pour himself a bowl of Lucky Charms. "This is going to be a bad day, isn't it?" he said to himself, going to the dining room table, where he knew the newspaper resided, and the funny pages.

As he passed the book nook, he saw that Abbey was asleep inside, sprawled out on the mattress. Her laptop, which had been playing a movie, was still going and she had a book open across her hip. Shutting her laptop and putting the book on the already packed shelf, Puck allowed her to sleep, going upstairs instead of eating in the dining room.

He watched an episode of Man vs. Wild, which he had recorded last night, while he finished his cereal, then started getting ready, slipping on a pair of dark wash jeans and a light blue button down with the sleeves rolled up. He put on a pair of socks and his Converse, then went to his dresser, banging his fist on the top once in frustration.

Puck opened the top drawer, where he kept extras, and he started pushing things around but all he found were socks, old lighters, and random change. "Damn it! Abbey!"

Puck went back down stairs and knocked loudly on the doorframe to the book nook. "What do you want, you incomparable swine?" she mumbled, rolling over and looking at him as she rubbed one of her eyes.

"Where are they?" he said, crossing his arms over his chest. "They were there last night, and now they're gone. Where? Are? They?"

She sucked in a breath, saying, "I can't tell you that," as she breathed it out.

"And why not?"

"It goes against my religion," she said sarcastically with a smirk, moving to lie on her stomach before promptly falling back asleep.

Puck, who thought he might throw something at her, just groaned, slammed the door shut and grabbed his backpack, putting on a zip up hoodie and walking out the front door. He went to his Jeep and pulled out of the driveway, heading to school and now _completely _dreading the day ahead.

The ride to the high school was long. Longer than it needed to be. Then again, he did drive past it, then turn around on Rachel's road to try and avoid going to school. But, he knew that, eventually, he needed to. So, ten minutes before the first bell rung, Puck pulled into the parking lot and turned off the Jeep, hopping out and trying to act casual.

It didn't work.

He wasn't even half way across the lot and already everyone was staring at him. He looked around, slightly intimidated as he walked by those who were staring. Quickly, he flipped the hood onto his head and ducked his face down, looking at the ground with his hands in his pockets as he made his way to the school.

When he entered the main hallway, he kept near the lockers, trying to avoid eye contact as he headed to his own locker. That failed immensely.

"Ha, hey, Puckerman," Santana said, a hand on her hip. She laughed loudly wrapping her arm around Brittany, who was just staring dumbly. He shied away from her. "Oh, come on, I'm kidding. Seriously, you look good!"

He waved her off once, going to his locker. He had successfully managed to make it there with only one mocking, but there was a whole six hours to go… "Damn," he said to himself, opening his locker and putting his backpack inside, taking out the binder he needed. "This day couldn't possibly get any worse."

"But, I think it got better," someone said from behind him, covering his eyes with their hands.

He put his hands over theirs, taking them off and turning around. "Now, there's a face I've been aching to see," he said, pulling Rachel close to him and ducking his head down to kiss her quickly.

When he pulled away, she smiled. "Well, aren't you looking suave." Puck glared at her. "Did Abbey take your contacts?"

He nodded, pushing his glasses up his nose. "Unfortunately. People have been staring at me. All day."

"It's only seven thirty."

"Whatever."

Rachel pushed off his hood and pulled him down to her eyelevel. "I bet there's something I can do to make you forget about the people who have been staring at you."

"Oh, really?"

She hit his chest. "Not that, you sexually corrupted boy." He frowned. "I can do this." Rachel leaned forward, pressing her lips to his and pulling him into an intense kiss. "And this…" She trailed her lips down his jaw line and to his neck.

Rachel pulled away and smiled at him. "You know… I think you may be the best girlfriend I've ever had."

"Well, I like a man in glasses."

"Like them enough to sleep with me?"

She let her arms fall from around his neck, sighing as she rolled her eyes and shook her head. "Um, no…"

Rachel started walking away. "What if I kept the glasses on?" he shouted after her.

"No, Noah!" she said brightly as she rounded the corner, her fine ass swinging from side to side behind her.

Puck groaned and fell against his locker, his back hitting it with a loud 'clang' as the door slammed shut. People around him stopped and stared, but this time, he stared back. "What are you looking at, ass-wipe?" A short freshman, who had an unfairly attractive freshman attached to his hip, looked around before pointing to himself. "Yeah you, you pint sized weasel. There's nothing to see here. Continue on with your sad life."

"Hey." The attractive freshman detached herself from the other one's hip and stared at Puck, trying to be as tall as she could. "Watch yourself. Just because you're an upper classman doesn't mean you can insult random freshman," she said, pointing a long finger in his face.

A smirk formed on his lips. "Yes, it does, so I suggest that you take your very annoying boyfriend, and your ridiculously sassy attitude and get out of my sight before I throw him in the Dumpster outside." He reached up and grabbed her wrist. She tried to pull away roughly, but he just held tighter, pointing her finger to the ground. "And it's rude to point." She was about to say something but he just shook his head, suddenly letting go of her hand. "Just walk away…"

And she did so, wrapping her arms around her boyfriend's waist before the two of them scampered off, leaving Puck alone in the hallway as the warning bell rung.

For a majority of the day, Puck had done a very good job at keeping the snide comments away. Every time someone looked like they were about to say something, he would just make his hand into a fist and make he was going to punch them and they always shied away. It was only in his classes that he found he could concentrate, and that didn't happen often. Except he wasn't focusing on the lesson, he was thinking about Quinn. So, as he sat in his chemistry class, looking at the board and taking vigorous notes, he found his mind wandering to the ultrasound he was going to that day after school.

For the first time in his life, he would able to see his little girl. Even though she was just a little thing that didn't even look like a thing, he would be able to see her. He just knew that it would be pretty badass. And then he thought about Quinn. He wondered how she was feeling right now, with only ten minutes left in the school day. With a grin, he thought that she was probably feeling wicked nervous.

And he was right.

Quinn sat in her last period class, her knees bouncing nervously as she watched the clock. There were only five minutes left in the day and she could practically head her heart pounding in her ears. She didn't know why she was nervous, really. Finn had already left for the day, at 1:30, and wouldn't be back until at least nine that night. Maybe it was because she was afraid someone would see them going to or at the doctor's office, but she discovered that she didn't really need to worry about that.

There would be no one around to see them.

When the bell finally sounded, she shot from her chair and gathered up her binders and books, walking quickly from the room. The halls crowded instantly and she fought her way to her locker, opening it and taking out her backpack. As she did so, Quinn turned her head and looked at the ultrasound picture that she had taped to the right inside of her locker. She let out a sigh, but then slammed her locker shut right when she felt someone tap on her shoulder.

Quinn turned around and looked at Santana and Brittany, who had their pinkies hooked. "Hey," the Latina said, her ponytail bouncing behind her. "Look, do you want to come to the mall with us? Maybe we could buy you some stretch pants," she said, giving Quinn a somewhat evil grin before the two of them flounced away leaving her standing there.

"What a bitch," someone said from next to her. She hadn't even noticed that they were standing there.

Quinn jumped slightly when they spoke, letting out a small shriek, then laughing with her hand covering her mouth. "Nice glasses, Puck. Are you turning into one of Jacob Ben Israel's little Jew Crew boys?"

"Haha, very funny." She laughed again and he mocked her, adjusting his voice to it was a high pitch. "You're real charming, Quinn." She tried as best she could to stop laughing. "Look, are you okay?"

She made a face. "What do you mean?"

"Well, Santana's your friend, right? And that was a really bitchy thing to say." Quinn just shrugged, trying to not let it bother her. "We gonna go?" Quinn nodded, still giggling slightly. "Alright then." The two of them stood there silently, just looking at each other. "You know… In the process of going, you do realize that we're going to have to go to the parking lot, get in the car and drive there, right?"

"Yeah, I know."

Still, they stood there. "And in getting to the parking lot, we're going to have to walk there…"

Quinn rolled her eyes, but then started walking, making sure that she didn't lose him in the crowd. They dodged and ducked around what seemed to be the whole school before finally making it to the front doors. They walked outside into the blinding sunlight, Quinn protecting herself by both her jacket and Puck from the blasting wind that was pounding at them.

"My Jeep's just over there," Puck said, pointing to his car, and Quinn nodded, both of them heading over to it.

Halfway to the car, he bumped into Rachel, who seemed to appear out of nowhere. She was unlocking her car and he knocked the keys from her hand, making her groan. "God, could you watch where you're- Oh, Noah… And Quinn…" she said, her eyebrows raising slightly in surprise. The three of them stood there awkwardly, Puck rocking back and forth on his feet. "Um… Baby business?"

"Ultrasound," Quinn said, pushing the strands of loose hair away from her face. Rachel nodded, putting her backpack into the passenger seat of her car. "You… Wanna come?"

Puck and Rachel both whipped their heads to look at her. "What?" they said at the same time, giving her astonished and confused looks.

"Do you want to come?" Quinn said again, slowly and more loudly.

Rachel looked at Puck and he bit his lip, shrugging. "Well, Quinn, that's very nice of you to offer, but I think I'll just go home. I've got a test tomorrow that I've got to study for," she said, pulling her jacket around her tightly. "So, um… Bye. I'll see you later."

She was about to climb into her car when Puck grabbed her waist. "Hey." She turned around and he pulled her in tightly. He kissed her, running his fingers through her think hair before pulling away and moving his lips to her ears. "I'll call you later, okay? Maybe hang out for a little while?" Rachel nodded. "Yeah?"

"Yeah."

He let her go. "Great. I'll call you around six." Then, without another word, she got into her car and left them standing there silently. "Okay, let's go… We're going to be late."

~*~  
"Quinn Fabray?" someone called to everyone in the waiting room, and Puck lifted his hand, signaling that they were there. The nurse nodded and turned back to the room, leaving Puck and Quinn sitting there.

The blonde was sitting there with her hands in her lip, fiddling with her fingers. "Okay, are you ready?" she said to Puck, raising an eyebrow at him. "Like, really ready?" Puck nodded. "Then, uh, let's go."

The two of them stood up and walked into the room where the nurse had gone, Puck shutting the door behind him. "Hello, Mr. Fabray, I am Dr. Keats, and I am going to be doing your ultrasound today. Dr. Wu couldn't make it in today," a tall man droned as he looked over Quinn's file. "So, if you could just hop up on the table," the doctor said, patting where he wanted Quinn to sit. "Oh, and who are you?"

"I'm the, uh, baby daddy."

"… Oh, alright." Quinn sat down and lay back as the nurse sat down next to her on a stool. "If you could move your uniform." She nodded, unzipping the skirt slightly and wriggling her hips so it would move down then pushing the top up. "Okay, here we go." The ultrasound technician squirted the blue gel onto Quinn stomach before smearing it around with the x-ray scanner. "Now, do you know the sex yet?"

"It's a girl," she said as she watched Puck's eyes drift toward the little screen.

Dr. Keats nodded. "Very good… Now, let's she's how she's doing." The three of them were silent for a while. "Oh, there she is… Congratulations, you two," he said, looking at them as he held the x-ray still on Quinn's stomach.

"Wow…" Puck breathed, looking at the screen, mesmerized. "Like, wow."

Quinn looked up at Puck and smiled, her fingers brushing against his. He grabbed her hand tightly, biting on his lower lip as Dr. Keats froze the image, putting the scanner back and handing her a towel to wipe the extra gel off her stomach. "That's your daughter, Puck…" she said quietly, squeezing his hand once. "She's yours."

Puck nodded, pushing his glasses up his nose. "She's beautiful," he said quietly.

"She looks like a bean." The two of then started laughing as Quinn sat up, adjusting her uniform so it was on properly. "But, you're right." They both looked back at the screen. "She's beautiful."

"So, do you have any questions?" Dr. Keats asked, interrupting the moment that Puck and Quinn had lost themselves in.

Puck shook his head, but Quinn nodded. "Yeah, actually… I'm not even that far long, only six weeks, but there is already a bump that's forming…" Dr. Keats rested one arm across his stomach and then his elbow on his arm as the stroked his chin. "It's just slightly concerning."

"Yes, yes… Well, Quinn, tell me something. Have you been eating a lot, now that you're pregnant?" She bit her lip, nodding a little. "And what have you been eating? Are you eating healthy, or slightly… Not."

"_Really _not," she said in a quiet voice, looking down at her lap. "A lot of junk food."

Dr. Keats smiled. "Well, there you go."

"So, I'm getting fat?"

Ignoring the question, Dr. Keats said, "Are you craving these foods?"

Quinn shook her head. "Sometimes, I just _feel _like I need to eat that stuff… because people always say to eat a lot when you're pregnant, like McDonalds and stuff..."

"Well, it is true that you need to eat more than you would normally, since you're trying to help the little baby inside you, but it's better to eat healthy things than junky things. Next time you feel a craving, or fell that you need to eat, try having a sandwich, not a burger. Or instead of having fries, have veggies. Carrots, broccoli, celery, that kind of stuff. Of course, you don't have to refrain from those kinds of foods. Just less often."

"Okay," she said, tightening her ponytail before changing her mind and pulling out the elastic. Her hair dusted around her shoulders and Puck smiled. "I'll do that."

"Good. Alright, I'll see you kids later," Dr. Keats said, opening the door for them as they left. "So long."

Puck and Quinn walked out, putting on their jackets before going out to the waiting room. "You know, I think you should also quit the Cheerios," Puck said as he held her jacket open for her. "Like, tomorrow, you could be doing a back handspring and the baby will just… fall out."

Quinn laughed and hit his chest playfully, rolling her eyes. "That's a little dramatic," she said, pulling the zipper up her chest. Puck shrugged and as they entered the place that had suddenly filled with kids, Quinn stopped dead in her tracks. "Oh… my… God…" she said, her eyes widening as she saw who was sitting in the waiting room.

"Quinn!" the woman said, getting up and going over to the two teenagers. "Just the person I wanted to see…"

"Mrs. Schuster… Hi…"

Puck's head whipped to look at Quinn. "Who? What?"

"You know Mrs. Schuster, right? She's the one who was giving out happy pills to the entire student body? Mrs. Schuster, this is Puck… The father of the baby."

"But I thought Mr. Finn Hudson was the father," she said in an all too forceful happy tone. Quinn shook her head 'no', and Mrs. Schuster gave her a cross look. "Well, Quinn, going around and cheating on your boyfriend is wrong. I mean, it should just be one boy, one girl, that's how it's supposed to be. It shouldn't be one boy, one girl, and not another boy on the side! That is just… Immoral, and-"

"How did you know I was here?"

Terri Schuster waved her hand. "Oh, I heard."

"From who, the millions of parents who you're friends with who have children in high school who, for some reason, tell their parents that Quinn had an ultrasound today even though no one knows, and then the millions of parents told you?" Puck said, sounding shockingly rude.

Mrs. Schuster and Quinn looked at Puck with open jaws, and he just looked back, giving her a look that said, 'What?'

"I'm sorry… How did you know I was here?" Quinn said again, running a hand through her hair.

"I called the Hudson's and figured out you were here."

"That's a little creepy," Puck whispered into Quinn's ear, pushing his glasses up his nose. "Why is the crazy lady stalking you?"

Quinn looked from Puck to Ms. Schuster, her face twisting into something of a grimace. "Mrs. Schuster, I need to talk to you about something very important," Quinn said in a low voice, buttoning her Cheerios jacket over her uniform. "About the baby."

Terri's face froze and Puck looked back at Quinn. "What do you mean, 'About the baby'?" he said, facing Quinn fully.

"Why don't we go some place the three of us can talk? More privately?" Mrs. Schuster said, putting a jacket on over her maternity belly. "There's a coffee shop down the street!"

Without a word, the three of them walked down the street to the Starbucks around the corner, ordering one grandé mocha late with a shot of peppermint—even though 'pregnant' women aren't supposed to drink coffee, one grandé coffee with two creams and sugars, because Puck likes his coffee simple but badass, like him, and one grandé caramel apple spice drink, because Quinn actually follows the rules of pregnant people.

"So, Quinn, what did you want to talk about with the baby?" Mrs. Schuster gasped suddenly. "Is there something wrong with it? Is it deformed?"

"What? No."

Mrs. Schuster let out a sigh of relief. "Oh, good."

Puck put his coffee down on the table. "Look, I would like to know what you were talking about with telling Mrs. Schue something very important about the baby… Why does she need to know anything about our baby?"

Quinn put a hand on Puck's. "In the beginning of the pregnancy, when I thought I didn't want the baby, I had said that Mrs. Schuster could have her."

"What!" Puck said, leaning away from her as his eyes opened in shock. "You said you would do… What?"

Quinn held her hand up to him. "This was before I made the decision to keep the baby, Puck. Okay? Calm down."

"The decision to what?" Mrs. Schuster said, placing her go-to cup down on the table and looking at Quinn with her eyebrows raised. "You're… You're keeping the baby? You can't keep the baby."

The teenager looked at Mrs. Schuster. "I'm not going to give you my baby…"

Mrs. Schuster's hand fluttered to her chest. "Oh, I think you'll find that you will be giving her to me."

"No, I won't. Mrs. Schuster, this is my baby. She belongs to me, and I'm keeping her."

"You're much too young to be taking care of a baby, Quinn. This is not something you should be doing."

The blonde pushed her hair out of her face. "I can take care of a baby. I may be sixteen, but I'm more mature than most girls my age and I have her father here, sitting next to me. This is all happening. Puck is ready to take care of her, and so am I. I'm dealing with what's happened to me. You're not dealing with what's happened to you, and trying to take someone else's child is not the answer to your problems. I'm keeping her, Mrs. Schuster, and I will never let you have her," Quinn said calmly, folding her hands on the table and leaning back in her chair.

Mrs. Schuster narrowed her eyes at them. "Oh, well, Quinn, you just can't do that. You said you would give her to me. I'm going to need that baby. And even if you say I can't have her, I will get her," she said in a threatening voice, staring them both down.

Quinn nodded once. "I'm keeping my baby, Mrs. Schuster. And you can say whatever you want and do whatever you want. But, if you try to take her from me, I will personally see to it that you never come within thirty feet of her. And if you try to take her, I will stop you." She let out a sigh. "Puck, come on, we're leaving."

Without a word, she stood up and grabbed Puck's arm, dragging him out of the coffee shop and to the Jeep down the street. "What the hell was that?" Puck said as he climbed into the driver's side. "Can you please explain to me what just happened?"

Quinn was muttering angrily to herself and then she looked at Puck. "When I first got pregnant, Mrs. Schuster asked for the baby."

"…Why?"

"Because she's not really pregnant. She's pretending to be." Puck's jaw dropped. "Yeah, I know. She was pregnant in the beginning, but it was just a hysterical pregnancy. She didn't want to tell Mr. Schuster because she was afraid that he'd leave her. So she asked to have the baby as a substitute for their fake one. And I told her she could have it. But, then I started thinking. And then I wanted to keep her."

Puck nodded slowly. "And you didn't think to talk to me about that when you made the decision?"

She turned to him and bit her lip. "I'm sorry… It was in the beginning and I was panicking, I just didn't know what to do. I made an impulse decision because I didn't want the baby, but then I changed my mind. And it's all over now, so can we just forget about it?"

He sighed, but then nodded. "Yeah, we can. Sorry…" She nodded. "Alright, I'll take you home. I have a job interview, and I'm gonna be late."

Puck started the car and pulled out of the parking lot, and she looked at him with a soft smile. "You got a job interview?" Quinn said quietly, biting her lip again. Puck nodded and turned onto the main road, not looked at Quinn. He didn't want to make a big deal of it. "You're gonna get a job?"

"Hey, I said I was going to help take care of this baby, right? And it's the winter now… People aren't going to need their pools cleaned, just like you said."

She looked down at her hands. "I'm sorry I said that."

He waved it away. "Whatever. You said what you said and now it's done. Just forget about it. Anyway, I'm getting a job down at Gray's Hardware."

"… Gray's Hardware," she said in a clarifying voice.

"Unfortunately… I mean, yeah, it's a shit job, but it pays well and I'll be able to drive around on the electric machinery, so I figure it's worth getting, you know? I just don't want you to make a big deal about it, okay?"

Quinn nodded. "I won't. But, I just want to say I think that's very manly of you and I'm glad that you're willing to do whatever to help with the baby." They were quiet for a minute. "Okay, I'm sorry, I can't not make a big deal about this," she burst out, turning to face him again. "Puck, you have no idea how happy this makes me. I'm just, like, overcome with happiness. It's so great that you're doing this."

He looked at her sideways. "Listen, Quinn-"

"You know, when I first told you I was picking you to be her father, I was afraid that you weren't actually going to do anything, but this is fantastic." She leaned across the console and kissed his cheek. "It's fabulous that you're helping with the baby."

As Puck pulled onto Finn's street, he slowed down. "You know, I think we should find something else to call her, instead of just 'the baby'," he said, looking at her out of the corner of his eye.

"What do you want to come up with a name? Right now?"

He shook his head. "No, but, just a filler name."

Quinn was silent for a moment, thinking. "Finn wanted to name her Drizzle."

Puck slammed on the breaks just outside of Finn's house and looked at her. "Drizzle?" Quinn nodded. "_Drizzle_? _Really_?" She looked at him with a reluctant face. "…Drizzle," he said slowly, running a hand over his Mohawk.

"Drizzle."

"Drizzle…?"

"Yes! Drizzle!" she said frustrated.

Puck sighed and looked at the clock. "Shit. I'm gonna be late."

Quinn suddenly started moving. "Right… Sorry, I'll just go. Thanks for the ride, thanks for coming to the ultrasound, thanks for everything."

Before Puck could say anything, she hopped out of the car and ran into the house, her shirt bouncing around her butt. Puck couldn't help but stare. When the door closed behind her, her sighed and put the car in drive, turning around and driving to the end of the road.

He tapped his fingers on the steering wheel a few times and then sighed. "… _Drizzle_?"

~*~  
When Puck pulled up to the parking lot of Gray's Hardware, he looking at the building for a moment. It was big and looked a lot like Lowe's or Home Depot, but unfortunately, it was neither of those. Gray's Hardware was the closest thing Lima had to a Home Depot, and it was the closest thing Puck could get to a respectable job.

"Well, shit," he said, letting out a sigh as he climbed out of the car and locking it behind him. The wind hit his face instantly and he shivered, flipping the hood to his jacket onto his head. "I am so going to regret this…"

The automatic doors pushed open and another blast of air, this time warm and smelling like dust, was shoved into his face as he walked in, his sneakers thwacking on the smooth cement floor. He looked around, taking in all the shelves stacked with wood, cans and doorknobs. There were ceiling lights on display in the corner, as well as lawnmowers. But, who would need a lawnmower in November?

He started searching for someone he could talk to about pointing him in the right direction, and then he spotted a professional looking man holding a clipboard and wearing a tie. He was balding slightly, and the hair that he did have was graying from a dull blonde color. When he saw the wiry eyeglasses that were resting on the bridge of the man's nose, Puck was glad that Abbey had taken his contacts. Now they had something on common.

Puffing up his chest as best he could, he walked over to the man. "Excuse me, sir, do you work here?"

"Why, yes I do. What can I do for you, young man?"

"I'm here for an interview. I applied for a job."

The man pushed his glasses up his nose. "Are you Noah Puckerman?" Puck nodded and the man looked at his watch. "Right on time. It's good that you're prompt, it shows potential. Follow me. My office is this way."

And then the man started walking, going around the shelves and passing the cash registers as he headed to a door that had plastic blinds hanging in the window. There was a sign nailed on the wall next to the door frame that said **Zachery Powell – Manager**, and Puck let out a sigh as Mr. Zachery Powell held the door open for him.

"Have a seat," he said as he sat down behind his desk, placing the clipboard aside. "Do you have any papers for me?"

Puck shook his head. "Unfortunately, no. I don't really have a resume or anything like that."

"Oh? Why is that?"

"I've only ever had two jobs in my life. One of them was a pool-cleaning business that I ran myself and the other was working at the 7-Eleven, but they didn't really pay me and I don't even think they knew I worked there after they hired me…" Mr. Powell laughed once, nodding his head a few times. "Then, I just stopped going when I was scheduled. Which was hardly ever, really."

Mr. Powell arched an eyebrow. "Did you stop going to work when you weren't scheduled because you were hardly ever being asked to work, or were there other reasons?"

Puck cracked his knuckles. "Other reasons…"

"Which are?"

"My little sister's sick." With raised eyebrows, Mr. Powell started writing something down on a paper. "No, no, it's not like that. She doesn't have, like, a cold or anything… She's very sick. She has cancer."

Mr. Powell stopped writing and looked up at Puck. "I'm terribly sorry," he said, putting his pen down. "My older brother has lung cancer. Yours?"

"Leukemia," he said stiffly, gripping his hands tightly until the tips of his fingers turned white.

"Alright, well, Mr. Puckerman, tell me why I should hire you."

He sighed. "Well, this is probably the same bullsh- the same stuff you hear from everyone but I'm hard-working and I'm clearly always on time and I care about whatever job I have. I'm responsible. Not to mention the fact that you pay your workers well and I really, _really_ need this job."

The balding man scribbled some more stuff down. "Why do you really, _really_ need this job?" he asked, mocking Puck slightly.

"Do you want the truth or some crappy, made up answer that everyone has given you in the past?"

"The truth would be nice."

Puck nodded once. "Well… To be perfectly honest, I got a girl pregnant. But, not just any girl. My best friend's girl. And he's dumb as dirt and I'm the smart one, so, she's picking me to be the dad, which means I've got to man up and make some money otherwise the baby's mother is going to wind up broke because she was kicked out of her house and doesn't have any money to pay for anything herself and my kid's gonna end up in an orphanage and we'll never be able to see her." Mr. Powell's eyebrows shot up and he looked at Puck with wide eyes. "And, _that, _Mr. Powell, is the God's honest truth."

~*~  
Quinn was sitting cross legged on the couch, watching a rerun episode of 16 and Pregnant and eating celery sticks dipped in peanut butter when the house phone started ringing. She had the cordless on next to her and she reached over, pressing it to her ear. "Hudson residence."

"Is this Quinn Fabray?"

She licked some peanut butter off her finger. "Yes, it is, who may I ask is calling."

"Oh, just a new employee of Gray's Hardware."

Quinn gasped, jumping up from the couch and knocking the jar of peanut butter onto the cushion. "You got the job?" she shouted, holding the phone tightly in her hand. She heard Puck laugh. "Is it… Are you serious? You're not, like, joking around or anything?"

"Nope. I'm serious. I've got a name tag and a vest and a locker of my very own. Quinn, it's legit. I got a job."

She laughed a few times, covering her mouth with her fingers. "Well, that's great, Puck. I'm so glad. You have to idea how much this means to me."

Puck clacked his teeth a few times. "I'm sure it means a lot." She nodded even though he couldn't see her. "So, listen… At the end of November, my family always has this southern themed barbeque thing where you have to dress up like cowboys and stuff… It's a really stupid thing, but it's always pretty fun. Do you think you might wanna come?"

Quinn's jaw dropped slightly. "You're inviting me to a family gathering?" Puck sounded slightly distracted as he said, 'Mm-hmm', and the sound of rustling paper filled Quinn's ear. "Did you invite Rachel?"

"Why do you care so much about Rachel?" he said, a blast of wind hitting the receiver to his cell phone as he spoke.

"Because she's your girlfriend, Puck. And even though she can be really annoying, I don't want to get in the way of something really good that you two have going on, okay?" He sighed. "So, did you invite Rachel?"

Puck clacked his teeth together a few times. "No. But, if you want, I could hang up with you, then call her and ask, because it seems so important to you," he said in a snide tone, mimicking her voice.

With a scoff, Quinn hung up the phone and threw it into the couch, sitting back down on the cushion. "What an ass," she said, scooping up some peanut butter with a new stick of celery. "You hear that, baby?" Quinn said to her stomach. "Your daddy's an ass."

~*~  
"What a charming woman," Puck said to himself when Quinn hung up on him. With a sigh, Puck went to his contacts, typing in _Berry_ to get to her name instantly. He hit send and pressed the phone to his ear, waiting as it rang. Finally, Rachel's voicemail came on and Puck cursed to himself.

"_Hello, this is Rachel Berry. I'm sorry I can't come to the phone right now, but if you'd please leave your name and number, I'll call you back as I can. Thank you!" _it said, her voice ringing lightly into his ear.

"Damn." There was a beep and Puck cleared his throat. "Hey, Rach, it's Puck… Er, Noah. Clearly you're not there… I'll, uh, try your house phone, I guess…" he said awkwardly, running his fingers through his Mohawk a few times. "Okay, uh, bye. I love you."

He hit end on his phone, going back to his contacts and selecting Rachel's home number instead. It rang twice then a male voice filled his ear. "Hello?"

"Hello, Mr. Berry, is Rachel there?"

"No, she's not, but I could take a message…"

Puck leaned against the side of Jeep, kicking at the gravel under his feet. "No, that's alright… Do you know where she might be?"

Rachel's dad was silent for a moment. "Ah, she said she was going to Noah Puckerman's house. She wanted to visit his sister or some babble like that."

"Great. Thank you, sir. Take care," Puck said before hanging up the phone. Sure, it was rude, but he needed to talk to his girl. As fast as he could, he dialed his home number, drumming his fingers on his leg.

"What up, my brotha?" Abbey said after the first ring.

Puck rolled his eyes. "Hey, squirt. Is Rachel there?"

"… Maybe. Depends on what you want."

He heard Rachel giggle in the background and he let out a frustrated sigh. "I want to talk to her."

Puck could practically hear Abbey smirking. "About what?"

"Just give her the damn phone, Abbegail." There was some muttering, but then, eventually, it went silent. "Rachel?"

"Yes?" she said, sounding like she was eating something.

"Hey, listen, I was wondering something…?" She was quiet. "Do you want to come to my family's barbeque thing? It's like a substitute for Thanksgiving, and it's fun and you'll get to dress up like a cowgirl."

Rachel giggled a few times, then went silent as Abbey started whispering a few things to her, things which Puck could hear. "You should come. It's fun and if things blow up with Puck, there are some really attractive cousins I'm sure you'd get along with perfectly." Puck rolled his eyes. "Say yes."

"Yeah, sure, Noah. I'd love to."

He smiled. "Awesome… Great…" Puck could hear Rachel moving around, shutting a door behind her. "Another question… Do you mind if I invite Quinn?"He squeezed his eyes shut and held his free hand in a fist as he heard Rachel stop moving. "You know, because she's going to bring a tiny little Puckerman into the family, so I figured she should meet them and whatnot."

More silence.

"Rach? Please say something."

She sighed. "Well…" Rachel tsked her tongue once. "You know what, Noah? Sure. That would be great if she came with us."

Puck's eyes snapped open. "Really?"

"Yeah."

He sighed in relief. "Great. You are the best girlfriend ever." Rachel laughed a few times, quietly. "Okay, I'll see you in a little bit… Bye."

Puck was about to hang up, but he heard her call, "Hey, Noah?" He brought the phone back to his ear. "I love you."

"I love you, too, Rachel." And then she hung up the phone. "That is the second time today that these women have hung up on me," he said aloud. "Good Lord."

Puck got into his Jeep and pulled up onto the road again, calling Quinn as he did so. "What do you want now?"

"I was just letting you know," he said in a calm voice, "that Rachel said she would go, and she also said that it would be just great if you came with us."

"Oh, _really_?" she said skeptically, and Puck rolled his eyes. "Then, I guess I'll go… It'd be nice, I suppose."

Puck nodded. "Great. I wish you luck in finding cowboy appropriate clothes." He heard Quinn scoff and he grinned as he pulled onto his road. "Alright, see you later Quinn… Bye."

And then _he _hung up on _her _before she got a chance to do the opposite as he pulled into his driveway and parked in front of the garage. As he shoved his hands into his pockets and jogged up the front walkway, he could hear Rachel and Abbey screaming and laughing, and with the wind that was pounding against his ears, they were pretty damn loud. He unlocked the front door and walked in, slipping off his jacket and tossing it onto the loveseat in the living room before standing in the doorway next to Abbey's book nook.

What he saw in his kitchen nearly made him drop dead. He saw Rachel and Abbey, covered in flour, as well as the entire floor, with other assortments of baking goods. Uncooked eggs were cracked and spilling over the counter tops onto the floor, vegetable oil was pooling on the kitchen table and the two of them, with flour, sugar and vanilla extract covering nearly their entire bodies, stood at the table that was covered in oil, vigorously stirring something in a giant metal bowl.

"What the hell is going on?" he said, walking in and hearing an eggshell crack under his shoe. His shoulders slumped and he gave them a tired look. "God damn it. Ladies, this place is a mess. What are you doing?"

"We're baking!" Rachel said happily, popping a few chocolate chips into her mouth.

Puck nodded, shaking off the gooey egg and shells what were stuck to his show. "Clearly… Why?"

Abbey placed a hand on her hip as she held onto a wooden spoon. "Because we _can_." Puck's eyebrow arched, but then Abbey stood up straight, her ear turned to the ceiling. "Hang on, sorry… My phone's ringing."

Then she skipped out of the room after dropping the spoon back in the bowl. Puck rolled his eyes, walking over to Rachel and wrapped his arms around her waist. "You're a mess," he smirked, leaning down to kiss her. He pulled away slightly, licking his lips. "Mm, you taste good," he said in a low voice, giving her a seductive smile before kissing her again.

It was at this point that Puck realized, despite all the times he had kissed Rachel, not once has he even dared to get to first. Sure, it was pretty standard stuff when it came to making out, but with Rachel, he wasn't sure what she was or wasn't cool with.

Then suddenly, Puck felt Rachel glide her tongue along his bottom lip and he smirked, pulling her even closer. He twisted his fingers into her mussed up hair, both of their tongues fighting slightly, before Rachel backed away slightly, letting him take over as he picked her up and put her on the footstool that was pressed against the wall, making her the same height as him. Just as her arms were slipped around his neck, there was a cry of disgust and the two of them pulled away, looking at Abbey.

"You two gross me out," she said, holding her cell phone against her shoulder. "Puck, Mom wants to know what you're doing for dinner."

His forehead creased. "Why didn't she just call the house phone?"

"Oh, we unplugged it after you called." Puck looked at his little sister with an arched eyebrow. "It was ringing, like, every two minutes, but they were all just relatives who were checking to see if I was okay, and I got tired of giving them the same story, 'Yeah, I'm fine, thank you for calling. Yeah, I'll tell Mom you said so. I love you, too. Bye.' So, I just unplugged it."

"How nice," he said sarcastically.

Abbey smiled. "Oh, that reminds me." She pressed her phone to her ear. "By the way, Mom, Uncle Peter, Bubbe, Auntie Stephanie, Grampy, and Zadie say that they loved the surprise party and the cake you made was divine." They heard a laugh, then some chattering before Abbey pressed the phone back into her shoulder. "Dinner?"

Puck shrugged. "Uh, I don't know… What do you want?"

"Chicken patties."

He looked down at Rachel. "Do you want to stay for dinner?" She nodded and he looked back to his sister. "No chicken patties."

"There are veggie burgers in the freezer." His eyebrows shot up. "I made Mom get them." With a roll of his eyes, Puck shrugged and then Abbey skipped off, telling her mother about the chicken patty/veggie burger plan for dinner.

Rachel laughed once. "She's quite the character, you know?"

"Unfortunately," he said, smiling at Rachel before a timer on the oven went off. "I think it's time to put your cookies in the oven."

She shook her head. "No, no. _Cookie_. Just one." And then, she took a baking tray that was lined with tin foil and spooned the cookie batter onto it, spreading out the dough before sticking it into the oven. "One giant monster cookie. You know you're jealous."

Just as she went to the sink to wash off her hands, Puck walked up behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist. "So jealous," he said into her neck, kissing where her pulse was beating and she laughed, looking over her shoulder at him. "So… So jealous, Miss Berry."

Rachel smiled, closing her eyes as his lips trailed up to hers, kissing her softly. She reached her hand up, lightly resting her fingers on his cheek and then Puck grabbed her hips, spinning her around.

There was another groan and a stomp of the foot.

"God, would you two _stop doing that!_"

**Alright, tell me what you think, little Munchies. We had a pretty long Breakfast today, and it took, like, weeks to prepare for you guys. Review because the pancakes tell you to. And you know you can't resist pancakes. :) **

**Puck's outfit is on my website. Yeah. **


	29. Dent In The List

**Ahahahahahahahahaha. Why am I laughing, you ask? Because I am so happy with this story right now. It's actually my favorite story. It may be long, but it's right on track. I love it. And you guys. So, I'm dedicating this chapter to all of you. Much love from your grateful writer. :) L.O.V.E! **

Chapter Twenty-Nine: Dent In The List

That night, around ten thirty, after they had taken Rachel home, there was a knock on the door. Puck and Abbey were currently lounging in the book nook, eating the All-In-One ice cream special that Scoops! had. Basically, a giant bowl of different ice creams of your choice topped with all the toppings Scoops! carried in their ice cream shop. They had picked one up on the way home, putting it in the cooler filled with ice they had brought with them for the very purpose of putting the All-In-One inside it.

So, the two siblings were in the book nook, half-way through the colossal ice cream sundae as they watched _The Shawshank Redemption _on Abbey's laptop, when there was a knock on the door.

"I'll get it," Puck said, spooning some cookies'n'cream into his mouth before he got up and went to the door. As soon as he did, he wanted to shut it again and go back to the safety of his sister's reading room. "What are you doing here?" he asked the tall girl at the door.

She smiled at him. "Well, I was supposed to give you the Chem homework from that day you were mysteriously out of school last week, but I forgot, so I'm giving it to you know," the Latina said, handing him a manila folder with a few papers in it. "It's the worksheet and lab we did in class, as well as the homework and syllabus for a paper due next week."

With a sneer, he took it from her and looked over the papers quickly. "Yeah, thank you, Santana."

She gave him a seductive smile. "You're welcome."

Then she didn't leave. She just stood there, her hand placed on her hip and Puck let his head fall back. "Ugh, fine, you can come in," he said, holding the door open for her as she strutted into the house, her ponytail bouncing around her shoulders. Santana wasn't in her Cheerios uniform, just a pair of tight Capris, tank top and Converse that didn't have laces through the top four holes, a puffy coat with faux fur lining the hood thrown in for flare. "Do you want something to drink? I can make you some tea…"

Santana turned and looked at him. "Tea? You're offering me tea?" He nodded, tossing the folder on the couch and hooking his thumbs on the belt loops on his jeans. "God, what is Berry doing to you?" He frowned. "I was looking for more of, like, a beer or something but… Sure, I'll have tea. Sounds just as good. What kinds do you have?"

Puck rolled his eyes. "Loads." They walked to the kitchen and as they did, Santana waggled her fingers a few times to Abbey, who was still in the book nook, licking caramel off her spoon. She waved back, scooping up some rocky road into her mouth. Puck went to the cabinet above the stove and looked at all the tea boxed. "We have green tea, raspberry, mint, lemon, earl gray, Sleepy time, Chamomile, plain, orange and British afternoon tea."

"They have tea for different times of the day?"

"Apparently." She laughed once. "Pick your poison."

She thought for a moment. "Mm… Mint."

Puck saluted her and pulled the mint tea off the shelf and put hot water in the electric kettle. He pulled out a mug as the water started to boil and he put the tea bag inside. "So, how are you, Santana?" he said, leaning against the fridge just as the kettle started to whistle.

"I'm good," she said as he pushed himself up with his shoulders to pull the chord out of the wall. He poured the water into the mug and stirred it for a minute before pressing the tea bag against the side of the mug with the spoon and taking it out, dumping it into the sink. He nodded, putting in two spoonfuls of sugar and placing it in front of her. "How are you and RuPaul?"

"_Rachel _and I are fine," he said, enunciating her name and giving Santana a slight glare.

"Mm," she said dismissively, taking a sip of the tea. "How did that happen anyway?"

He made himself some tea, leaning back against the fridge. "Why do you care?"

Santana shrugged, taking another sip. "I'm pretty sure that everyone is wondering how Rachel Berry snagged the sex god of McKinley high school. I think even _she _is wondering that." Puck rolled his eyes. "So… How did it happen?"

Puck sat down across from Santana and put his mug down on the table. "We just… Started hanging out."

"Yeah, well, you and Finn just hang out, and I don't see you two getting all up on each other."

He laughed once. "Well, that's because Finn's a guy." Santana narrowed her eyes. "Alright, alright… Well, let's back track a little bit. First, Rachel and I had to do the duet together. When we were trying to figure out a song, she asked me to teach her how to play guitar."

"The day that you two were having a stare down in the music room?"

"Uh, no. The day my mom stupidly invited her over for brunch and forced us to be in the same room with each other. _Anyway_, we had kind of come to terms with each other and then we were figuring out a song and I was playing my guitar. She asked me to teach her. So, I did, and we just… Kissed." Santana's eyebrows shot up. "And then, the next day, Jacob Ben Israel was harassing her and I told him to fuck off and she was crying and snotting all over my varsity jacket, and when she had de-snotted herself, we kissed again."

Santana rolled her eyes. "Jeez, Puck. It's like, I break up with you, and then you're so desperate to get some that you're hooking up with Rachel."

He glared at her for a moment. "Shut up, Lopez. Let me talk." She held up one hand in surrender, absently stirring her tea. "So, then we were practicing our duet at her house and she made dinner and we were talking. We talked about all kinds of stuff. Like, literally everything." Puck let out a quick sigh, running his hand over his Mohawk. Santana smiled to herself. "Then we made out some more. And a couple days later, I had to drive her to school. I guess this was the day that we kind of got together, since everyone was staring at us and I kissed her in the hallway. Then, we went out to lunch at BreadstiX and I made her try soda, then we pretty much became official. Then we went to the Halloween party together and she stayed the night with Abbey. The actual legit date where I took her out to a restaurant happened that same day and I almost said I loved her, but I didn't." Her eyes widened as he continued. "Then, when Abbey's leukemia came back, I went to Rachel's house and we talked and she said she loved me. And I said I loved her, too. End of story."

With a sigh, Santana leaned back in her chair. "You are turning into such a woman, Puckerman."

"I told you, Abbey," Puck called nonchalantly, earning a giggle from his little sister. "Anyway, I don't really know how exactly she 'snagged the sex god of McKinley high school'. Sorry."

She leaned forward. "That's too bad. Because I know. I figured it out."

"How?"

"Let me exaggerate it a little bit for you." Santana sat like Puck, clearing her throat to lower her voice. "And she made dinner and we were talking," she said, mimicking him in the lowest voice she could get. "We talked about all kinds of stuff. Like, literally everything." Then she let out a loud and over-exaggerated dreamy sigh, running her hands through her hair before resting her chin in her palm. Puck rolled his eyes and laughed. "Seriously, Puckerman. I could see it in your face. You fell for her _hard _then when you guys were talking about what ever shit you were talking about."

Puck rolled his eyes. "Whatever."

Santana smiled. "I'm not kidding. It was written all over you face. A woman knows."

"Too bad you're not one."

She ignored his comment. "You said that you guys talked about everything. Doesn't usually happen unless the two people are best friends, or they like the person enough to trust them. Clearly, it was the latter, so, that's when you liked her. You must have told her, like, everything about you when you guys were talking."

Puck took a quick sip of his tea. "Well… Not everything." Santana's eyebrow shot up. "Like, I didn't tell her about the time I went to do a flip off the jungle gym, but slipped and landed on my groin, or the time when we all went to the lake and I screamed because I thought an eel was in the water."

Santana laughed out loud, smiling widely before falling silent, like she were thinking. "You know, I can figure out why you're with her, but I can't figure out why she's with you." Puck frowned. "No one's going to deny that you're sexy as hell, but it's not like you're, like, well, Rachel's idea of a boyfriend."

Puck narrowed his eyes at her. "Maybe that's the reason. I'm not her idea of a boyfriend which is why I _am _her boyfriend."

"How does that even make sense, Puckerman?"

"She's aiming for something different than her normal standards." Santana snorted quietly, her eyes widening for a moment before she sipped at her tea again. He was quiet for a moment and he stared at her. "Santana, can I ask you a serious question?"

"Uh… Sure."

He cleared his throat. "What the hell is wrong with you?"

Her mouth fell open slightly. "What?"

"Like, you're in a scarily good mood and it's freaking me out. You're acting like, well, a normal person and not one who lives just to suck out innocent children's souls and smother kittens. What's up with you today?"

Santana was quiet for a while, contemplating the answer to this question. After a moment, she looked at him. "I had a good day." Puck's eyebrows rose for a second, but then he nodded, leaning back in his chair. "Well, I guess I should go." She stood up. "Thanks for the tea, and the talk, and I'll see you tomorrow."

"Uh… Okay."

"I'll show myself out."

Puck just sat there, watching as Santana slipped her jacket on and walked out of the house, saying goodbye to Abbey on the way. When the door was closed and they heard her car pull out of the driveway, Abbey poked her head out of the book nook and to the kitchen. "That was really weird."

"Um, yeah." Abbey leaned against the doorframe and crossed her arms over her chest. "You know…" he said, putting the empty mugs in the sink and rinsing them quickly. "I've been thinking that we should start doing that list of yours."

She stood up straight and arched on eyebrow at him. "Oh yeah?"

He nodded. "Yeah. And I know exactly where to start."

~*~  
With hats on their heads and coats on, Puck still in his sweatshirt, he and Abbey stood on a curb, staring up at a street sign. "Mason street?" she said, turning to look at him.

He grinned. "Yeah! It's your middle name, isn't it?" Abbey nodded. "Then, why not?"

"No idea." Puck smiled. "Let's to this." The two of them stood next to the pole, both looking up at the sign. "_How _are we going to do this?"

Puck was silent for a minute. "Uh…" They stared at each other, stuck. "Oh! I got it! You can sit on my shoulders." She nodded approvingly. "Okay, let's actually do this." Puck knelt down and let Abbey sit on his shoulders, standing up slowly. "Now, I'm gonna keep watch while you do this."

"Fabulous."Puck walked her toward the sign. "Screwdriver," she said, clasping her hand around the screwdriver that Puck slapped into her hand. She reached up and started taking out the screws for the sign out. She put one in her pocket, but then all of a sudden, Puck—who had been looking from side to side—stopped.

"Abbey, don't move. Just sit there," he said as his little sister stopped moving.

She looked down at him. "Why?"

He reached up and held onto her legs as he started to walk toward the giant tree that was looming over the sign. "There is a car." The two of them were quiet as they stood under the curtaining branches of the tree.

With a sigh, Abbey rested her arms on the top of his head and leaned forward, her chin in her hand. "I feel like trying to get this street sign is going to take longer than necessary."

Puck nodded and started walking back toward the curb as the car passed, Abbey continuing to take out the screws. In the next five minutes, Abbey had only taken out three out of eight screws while the two of them hid from at least ten cars that drove by.

"Is it possible to move faster?" he asked, looking up at her as she took out the fourth screw.

She glanced down at him, her eyebrow arching. "Not exactly, Puck… Unless you got me an electric screwdriver it'll take a little longer than, you know, five minutes." He rolled his eyes, but laughed, shifting his feet. "Hey, can you go up on your toes? I can't reach the top screws."

Abbey was moved up a few inches and just as she started unscrewing the last two screws, she was suddenly, jerked to the left, her butt slipping off Puck's shoulders. She was hanging by her knees, grasping at his neck as the two of them disappeared under the tree.

"What the hell, Puck?" she said in a frantic voice, clutching his head desperately as she resituated herself.

"There is a cop coming, Abbey," he said, reaching up and behind him to hoist Abbey back up properly. "He was coming this way, and I'm fairly sure, no, completely sure, that stealing a street sign is well, stealing not to mention its public property, so, yeah."

Abbey smirked, whacking the top of his head. "Well, warn me the next time you take off. You made me nearly fall off. Asshole." She watched as the police car turned onto Mason St, slowly driving past the tree they were hiding under. "This is a serious problem," she said as it disappeared around a house. "I only have two more, so, let's do this quickly."

With a salute, Puck brought Abbey out one last time before she pulled out the last of the screws, the sign falling into her hand. "Success!" Puck said, throwing his fist in the air before Abbey swung her leg over his shoulder and fell to the ground. "That was surprisingly graceful," he said as she stood up straight next to him.

"Thanks." She held the sign out and looked at it, smiling. "This is beautiful," she said proudly, tucking the sign under her arm.

"Agreed. Now, let's go to the Jeep. It's freaking cold out."

Abbey couldn't stop smiling. As the two of them walked to Puck's car, she just clutched the sign tightly to her chest. A huge grin was spread across her face and Puck laughed a few times once the two of them were in the car. She looked at her brother. "Thanks for doing that with me," she said brightly, switching the heat on high when the car was running.

"You're welcome." Puck then reached into the pocket of his sweatshirt, pulling out the folded up piece of paper. "Number Fourteen: Steal a street sign…" He scratched a pen across the paper. "Done." She beamed again. "But, I just don't feel like we're done for tonight."

"Oh, no?" He nodded. "Well, I think I have a certain number in mind."

~*~  
"Come on, man, pull some strings," he said, letting his hands fall on the glass counter in front of him. "You did for me, remember?"

A blonde man in his mid twenties with shaggy hair and tattoos on his knuckles that said 'Love' on one hand and 'Hate' on the other, stared at Puck. "Well, you were sixteen. The child in question you're talking about is, what, thirteen?" Puck nodded. "Too much of a pulled string."

Puck gave him a bored look. "Yeah, but she's my sister. Come on. What if we paid twenty extra bucks? Huh?"

"Fifty."

"Twenty-five."

"Forty-five."

"Thirty."

"Forty."

"Done."

"Fine," the man said, shaking Puck's hand. "Bring her in."

Grinning, Puck walked out of the small building, to the Jeep where Abbey was sitting. There was a glow as she typed rapidly on the keyboard to her cell phone, jumping when Puck knocked on the window. She looked at him hopefully and he nodded, backing away as she flung the door open.

She hopped onto the sidewalk, looking at her brother who was outlined by a glowing neon green light. "Seriously?"

"Yep." She squealed, gripping his hand tightly as they walked through the glass door. The blonde man walked around the counter and shook her hand. "Abbey, this is Razor. He did my piercing last year. Razor, my kid sister, Abbey."

He nodded once. "Nice to meet you… Wait, I've seen you before," he said, looking at her more closely. "You're the girl who's always with this shit head when I sneak him into the theatre, aren't you?"

"Unfortunately," Puck said, ruffling her hair as she laughed, punching him in the arm.

"Yes, I am. It's nice to meet you, too, officially, I guess… Although I can't believe you actually did that to him. It's gross."

Razor smirked. "I was against it, too, but he paid the price."

"Literally. Made me pay an extra sixty bucks because I was under age _and _I didn't have an adult with me."

"Guardian," Razor corrected, standing between two curtains that separated the reception desk from the actual parlor.

Puck rolled his eyes. "Guardian, whatever. For once, Abbey, consider yourself lucky that I'm your guardian right now. You get it for less than I did."

She was about to say something, but Razor interrupted her. "If you want this done, then you gotta come back here, little lady," he said, holding the curtain open as the siblings walked through, entering the other half of the building.

There was a chair pushed against the wall and a table next to it with needles sterilizing in blue water. There were packages of earrings, tongue rings, lip rings and belly button rings on display against one wall, as well as tattoo stencils options tacked up across from the chair. Abbey looked around for a moment, taking in her surroundings before looking at her brother, who was staring at the tattoos.

"Have a seat in the chair, missus," Razor said, pointing to the chair as she pushed her hair out of her eyes. She suddenly felt her stomach drop slightly when she saw him pick up the piercing gun. "Do you want a stud or a ring?"

"Uh… How big is the ring?" she said, hugging her arms around her stomach tightly. Razor held his palm out that had a small silver circle placed in the middle, one that was no bigger than half of Abbey's pinky nail.

From across the room, Puck distractedly said, "I'd go with the ring if I were you," as he looked closely at a tattoo on the wall. Abbey nodded and Razor smiled slightly. "You know, I think I might get a tattoo."

"It'll cost you one hundred dollars." Puck looked at him. "Plus twenty for every extra hour."

"That's ridiculous," Puck said as his little sister sat down in the chair. "Like, honestly."

Razor looked at Abbey. "Can you put your hair up?" Abbey pulled a hair tie off her wrist and threw her hair up into a messy bun as Razor cleaned her ear with alcohol. "Well, I'm adding on twenty because you're a minor." Puck narrowed his eyes. "And you don't have a-"

"Guardian with me, yeah, yeah," Puck said, pulling a stencil off the wall. "I think I'll get this one."

As Razor marked where he was going to give her their piercing, Abbey raised her eyebrows at her brother. "Wait, you're actually going to get one?" He shrugged as if to say, 'Why not.' "Well, think about it for a second. You really want to do that? It's permanent. And an impulse decision."

"Well, so was my glorious nipple piercing-" Both Razor and Abbey rolled their eyes "-And there are times when I think that I shouldn't have gotten it, but I've been thinking about a tattoo for a long time."

"Oh, _have _you now?"

He rocked back and forth on the balls of his feet for a moment. "Well, not _recently_ but I have been. I saw this one on the wall when I got my piercing done. I really wanted it."

Puck showed her the picture of a dragon flying around the Chinese symbol for fire. She shook her head. "No, no. You want a tattoo, then you're going to let me design it, okay? No offence, but none of this tattoo parlor stencil crap."

Razor smiled, holding the earring gun up to her ear. "No offence taken… You ready?"

Abbey looked at him. "More than ready."

"Alright, on the count of three… One… Two…" She squeezed her eyes shut. "Three."

~*~  
"Okay, all together, that will be eighty six dollars, plus forty, so, one-twenty-six."

Puck pulled his wallet out of his pocket and slapped a bunch of bills into Razor's hand. "You're one expensive ass sister, you know that, squirt?"

Abbey smiled. "Yeah, I know." He pushed her head gently as Razor handed Puck his change. "Can we go? I have to get up early tomorrow."

He snorted at her. "What's early for you, one o'clock in the afternoon?"

"Seven…" His forehead creased. "I have an appointment at the hospital tomorrow. Dr. Martin wants to take a bone marrow test and I need some blood work done. They want to start early."

"… Uh, right, yeah." He turned to Razor. "Alright, man, thanks for the last minute work, and the discount," he said, pounding fists with the man behind the counter. "I'll, uh, see you later for that tattoo."

Razor laughed. "Think you can take it? You had to get plastered for that piercing." Puck nodded, shrugging. "If you say so…" He shook Abbey's hand. "Nice to meet you."

She smiled. "Yeah, I'll, uh, see you when he gets his tattoo. He won't be able to go at it alone, you know?" Puck pushed her head again. "Okay, bye."

Abbey walked out of the shop, but Puck lingered behind for a moment, leaning his hand on the counter. "Hey, are you still working in the theatre in Dayton?" he said, running a hand over his Mohawk.

Razor started putting some earlobe stretchers in the counter while he absent mindedly said, "Yeah, why?"

"Just wondering."

He looked up, his hair falling in front of his eyes. "You looking for tickets?" Puck shrugged. "Alright, well, I'll see you later, man."

He nodded, wrapping his knuckles on the counter once. "Yeah, alright… See you."

Then, with a sigh and a smile, Puck walked out of the tattoo parlor and into the icy wind that was rushing by. He practically dove into his Jeep and shut the doors, trying to be in the cold as little as possible. When he had turned on the car and put the heat on, he looked at Abbey, who had flipped the sun visor down as she examined her new earring.

"How's it feel?"

"Hot," she said, pulling the bungee cord over her legs and hooking it on the other end of the seat.

Puck was silent for a moment. "Hot, like, your ear is burning or hot, like, sexy?"

She flipped the visor back up and leaned her head against the back of the seat. "Hot, like, my ear is burning. Although, I think that, in time, once it stops hurting, it'll be sexy." He shook his head. "Well, I'm your sister. If you thought it was sexy, that would be a crime. And I'd kill you for it."

Abbey laughed as Puck shivered in disgust, starting the car and turning off the curb onto the road. "Hey, now you can cross another on off your list," he said, handing her the piece of paper before turning on the radio. "That's two. Personally, I think the next one you should do is the one where Rachel sings and you dance. You could do it for the recital the Academy's having after Thanksgiving."

"One step ahead of you, brother," she said as she crossed number 11 off her list. "I've already started the choreography."

He raised his eyebrows at her. "Impressive, very impressive." She smiled smugly. "You really want to get this list done, don't you?"

Abbey nodded, then shrugged. "Well, yeah. I mean, I don't know how much time I've got, you know?" she said in a casual voice, as if that were an everyday thing to say. "I just want to get it done as soon as possible, just in case my time is running out."

"Your time is _not _running out," he said, his grip tightening on the steering wheel.

She turned her head slowly to look out the window at the dark buildings passing by. "You don't know that."

"And neither do you. They got rid of your leukemia once before, they can do it again. Dr. Jones even said that there was a ninety-nine percent chance that they could get rid of it again."

"Well, Dr. Jones is a compulsive liar," she said stubbornly, bringing her knees up to her chest as she rested her feet on the dashboard. "And anyway, if they got rid of it once, then how come it's back? Huh?" Puck was silent. "It's because it never went away, Puck. There's a ninety-nine percent chance that they can make it go away, but I happen to be the one percent where it doesn't."

He hit his hand on the steering wheel. "No!" he said, taking a sharp turn to the right. "You keep being so pessimistic."

"Oh, _I'm _pessimistic? I'm the pessimistic one when all the time, you're saying that it's _not _going to happen. No matter what, I will not suffer from having leukemia?" she said, shifting in her seat slightly to look at him better. "Even though I have to go through chemo and radiation and all those fucking treatments again, I'm definitely going to get through this a second time? When there was such a close chance of me not making it the last time? Huh? I'm the pessimistic one when all the time, you're stuck on this for sure decision of your own that I'm not going to die this time? That's what you're saying?"

"That's not going to happen. You keep saying that you're time is running out, but it's not!"

"But it could!" she shouted, letting her head fall onto her knees. "You can't control everything, Puck. I don't want this to happen just as much as you don't. But you have to face the facts," she said into her legs. "You always say that I'm not going to die… Always. But, even right now, I'm dying. My leukemia is back and right now, it's not being treated so I'm _dying_."

"Stop saying that!"

She turned her head and looked at Puck, hugging her thighs tightly. "I'm… dying…" she said in a forced voice, just to emphasize it. "And we can't help it. I'm a cancer kid, Puck. No matter what, it's always going to be in my body. It'll never go away. And the more it comes back, the stronger it is with a better chance of staying."

Puck, his face drained of color as he tried to concentrate on the road. "Look, I know that kids pass away from having leukemia, but there's a one in a hundred chance that they do."

"One in a hundred, one in a thousand, one in a million. There are all those chances, but I could still be that one. Things happen when we don't want them to and there's nothing we can do to control them, okay?" He rested his arm next to the window, driving with one hand as he let out a frustrated sigh. "You've just got to fact it. It's back. And I could be that one in a hundred, Puck…"

She looked at her brother and swallowed the lump that was rising in her throat. "Even if I don't want to be."

**What turned out to be brother/sister time, turned into, well, sadness and depressingness time, but we've just got to deal with it. What do you think? Do you want Abbey to die, or don't you? Let me know in a review! **


	30. Wake Up Call

**La la la la LA lalalala. I've made her a vegetarian, not a vegan. Too much work. **

Chapter Thirty: Wake Up Call

At 5:15 the next morning, the Carol Of The Bells by Metallica started blaring from Abbey's cell phone and she shot her hand out from underneath the five blankets and sleeping bag that was cocooning around her to switch it off. She was in the book nook, curled up on the queen sized mattress she'd managed to shove in between her towering and overstuffed bookshelves. Her teeth were chattering, her ear was burning, her bones ached and she desperately wanted to go bad to sleep.

Her head was pounding with every move she made, and when she was still, Abbey could hear the throbbing drumming loudly in her ears. "Fuck, I hate cancer," she whispered to herself, sitting up only to fling herself back down on the mattress, her palms pressed tightly to her temples.

As slowly as humanly possible, she inched her hand over to the shelf where her phone sat, grabbing the orange prescription bottle that resting next to it. She pulled two of the little white pills out and washed them down with a flat, but cold, root beer that she'd been drinking the night before. For the next ten minutes, Abbey lay there, looking up at the ceiling, where she had collaged together pictures of her, Puck, relatives and friends. Some of her and her ballet friends goofing off in the dressing room before a performance, some of her and Puck at the beach or at a carnival, or some of her and Rebecca when they were younger, dressed up in the clothes Abbey had once forced Puck to wear.

While she was lying there, she thought about last night when she and Puck had fought in the car. Abbey wanted to hit him so badly. Even though, yes, he was her brother and he knew everything about what was happening with her, he didn't know how it felt. Of the constant headaches, of never knowing when she would all of a sudden start bleeding from her nose, or throwing up into the closest appropriate thing possible, or blacking out at times that seemed unnecessary. He didn't know what it was like to go through surgery at six years old then having to recover through symptoms such as infections, the inability to move because of the pain or feeling tired all the time.

Puck was always saying that she would be alright, but he never knew that she would be. He didn't know how she felt, and there were days where Abbey felt like she would die, or days where she wished she would because the pain in her bones as just too much. On the day where Abbey had gone to the hospital, Dr. Martin had stayed by her side the entire time. Once, when Puck had gone to get her some food, Abbey had turned to him and said, "Dr. Martin, if I ask you a very serious question, can you give me a very serious, and _honest,_ answer?"

"What is it, princess?" he'd said back, putting his clipboard down to put a blood pressure cuff and stethoscope on her arm.

As he started pumping air through the cuff, making it grip tighter and tighter around her arm, Abbey bit her lip. "What are the chances of me dying this time?"

He looked up at her as the air hissed out of the blood pressure cuff. "The chances…" Abbey nodded. "Well, last time, your chance was sixty percent to forty, correct?" She nodded again. "And this time…" Abbey swallowed, looking at him with a hard but emotionless stare. "Your chance is-"

"Abbey, they didn't have any chocolate chip cookies left because some tubby five year old took them all, so I just got you Oreos. Is that okay?" he said, placing the blue package next to her on the bed.

The thirteen year old just kept looking at Dr. Martin. "What are the numbers, Doc?" She was sounded cheery now, as if the two of them had been discussing the chances of a basketball team winning or not.

Dr. Martin casually picked up his clipboard and wrote down her blood pressure, looking back up at her over the rim of his wire glasses and saying, "Thirty to seventy," before tapping her nose quickly and walking away.

As Abbey thought of that day, she felt her headache start to slip away so she sat up slowly, rubbing her eyes. "It's thirty to seventy, Puck," she said to no one, wrapping the open sleeping around her shoulders before stumbling sleepily out of the book nook and up the stairs. "Not one hundred to zero."

Abbey yawned once, walking into the bathroom and turning on the shower. She dropped the sleeping bag off her shoulders and slipped out of her pajamas, waiting until steam was floating out from behind the curtain before stepping under the hot stream of water that numbed her aching bones instantly. She hummed the notes to a Jack's Mannequin song as she rinsed out her shampoo, slapping some conditioner on her head before running a comb through her hair. After washing out her hair again, Abbey shut off the water and wrapped a towel around her body tucking in a corner.

She walked from the bathroom, dripping water on the rug in the hallway and Puck's room as she poked his back. "Puck," she said in a singsong voice. "You've got to wake up!"

He stirred slightly, turning his head to look at her. "What time is it?"

"Twenty minutes of six," she said, looking at the clock on his night table.

Puck groaned. "Fuck no, it's not time to get up," he mumbled, rolling onto his stomach and pulling the blankets up over his shoulders.

She wrung her hair out onto his head, but he just brought his pillow over his head, wiping off the water in the process. "You have to drive me to Dad's." He didn't move. "Natalia's taking me to the hospital this morning." Still nothing. "Come on, Puck. Seriously, I need you to wake up."

Slowly, Puck emerged from under his pillow and looked at her sideways. "Go get dressed. Wake me up when, and only when, you are completely ready to leave," he said, his voice hoarse from sleep. "Now get out and stop dripulating on my carpet."

Abbey rolled her eyes but walked out of his room, letting him go back to sleep. She shut the door to her room and dried herself off, putting on her undergarments before shuffling around her dresser for her favorite pair of pants—DeLiA*s dark wash Bailey jeans that had a slight bell bottom flare at the ends. After buckling a belt around her waist, she put on an old gray t-shirt with a drum set that had The Beatles written on it in black print. After brushing her hair again, she threw it up into a messy bun, ignoring the fact that it would be tangled and curly when it dried.

As she was rifling through her top drawer, Abbey's vision started to fog and her knees knocked together. "Oh, Christ, not again," she groaned, closing her eyes and trying to push past the sudden buzz that filled her ears. Slowly, Abbey leaned against her dresser, resting her head against the top drawer. "Go away… Go away," she said, holding her head in her hands.

The buzz began to fade away, but when she opened her eyes, everything went from blurred to black, and Abbey collapsed to the ground.

~*~  
Abbey's eyes flashed open and she looked at her dim ceiling, her eyes adjusting to her surroundings. She let out a sigh and reached up, using the handle on her dresser to help her sit up. She felt slightly light headed but it soon went away and she stood up, looking at herself in the mirror that was sitting on the top of her dresser, next to abundant collection of nail polish. The clock on her night stand flashed 5:50, and she added up the time, discovering she'd only been out for five minutes.

"There's got to be a less painful way to pass out," she said aloud, trying to shake off what had just happened, but she heard her voice waver slightly. "Just, let it go…"

She picked up a black eye pencil and lined her eyes, sweeping gray eye shadow over her lids and quickly putting mascara on before she let out a slow breath. "Nothing that hasn't happened before. And you're going to the hospital today anyway. Just talk to Dr. Martin and you'll figure it out."

With a firm nod, she found a pair of socks and grabbed her Converse, heading back down the hall to Puck's room. "Come on, bro," she said, flopping down on the end of his bed and putting her socks on.

Puck groaned and rolled over onto his side, sucking in a long, tired breath. "Abbey, why can't Mom drive you?" he complained, looking at her as she tied the laces to her Converse before she got up off the bed. "I mean, I'm exhausted and I have to go to school in…" His eyes flashed to the clock. "Oh, joy. An hour and ten minutes. Make Mom drive you. I could sleep for another hour."

"Mom left thirty minutes ago. Besides, you're way past the beauty sleep, so, rise."

She ripped the comforter and sheets off Puck's body and he jolted up, glaring at her through tired eyes. "I hate you." He stretched his arms, grabbing his glasses as he did so. "I want my contacts back, by the way," he said as he climbed out of bed, going over to his bureau. "Like, now."

"Nope." He turned and raised one eyebrow at her as he slipped a white long sleeve shirt over his head. "Come on, Puck. Rachel likes you in glasses. Please your woman."

As he pulled a t-shirt on over this long sleeved one, Puck pointed to the door. "Get out." With a roll of her eyes and a smirk, Abbey slowly started walking toward his door. "Faster."

The door closed behind her and Puck pulled off his sweatpants, stepping into a pair of blue jeans, his favorite pair that had washed down to a medium color from the dark they were before. The leg holes were fraying and they were worn so much they were almost soft and one of the belt loops was missing, but these pants had been through many a thing with him, not to mention the fact that they were comfortable as hell.

It was 6:00, the time when Rachel got up, so he grabbed his phone from on top of his dresser and texted her quickly before slipping his phone into his pocket. As he was putting on a pair of socks, Puck found himself thinking about the night before, when he and Santana had talked about why he was with Rachel and how they had both pondered as to why Rachel was with him. For a moment, as he was slipping his feet into his sneakers, Puck thought about this deeply. To be honest, he didn't know why Rachel was with him. Of course, like Santana had said, he was sexy as hell and no one could resist doing him, but since Rachel was probably the only human ever who _was_ resisting, he couldn't figure out why she would want to be in a relationship if they weren't sleeping together.

That's what all his previous relationships were, purely no talk, all sex. With Rachel, it was all talk, no sex. And it really stumped him that he didn't know. He was suave, attractive and came up with really good pick up lines, but that can't be why Rachel was with him, could it? No, because none of that was getting her to sleep with him. Not that that was his only goal.

Puck all of a sudden wanted to know why Rachel was with him. "I'll just ask her," he said before trudging to the bathroom to brush his teeth.

Abbey was sitting at her desk, typing something on her laptop with one hand while the other one moved her earring around, occasionally stopping to clean it with a cotton ball that was drenched in ear cleaner. Puck brushed his teeth quickly, rinsing his mouth with mouthwash and water before standing in her doorway.

"Knock knock," he said, wrapping his knuckles on the door a few times, making her look over at him. "Let's go. You said you needed to go to Dad's, which is why you woke me up at the crack of dawn, right?"

Abbey nodded and typed something quickly on her laptop before shutting it and walking toward him. "Yeah," she said quietly. "Let's go."

"You okay?" Puck said as she pushed past him, going down stairs as she pulled a black sweatshirt over her head.

"Yep."

Puck heard her let out a small sigh. "Okay, seriously, what's wrong?" he said as he zipped his sweatshirt from the day before, grabbing his keys from the basket in the TV room.

"It's just all happening again…" she said sadly, flipping the hood of her sweatshirt onto her head. "I'm sorry."

Abbey just shrugged, knowing he didn't understand as they walked out the door to the Jeep and Abbey buckled herself in with the Bungee cord while Puck turned the key in the ignition, silence filling the air. He tried again, but still nothing. His posture slumped slightly and he looked annoyed before he grabbed a wooden door stop wrapped in electrical tape, popping the hood and wedging it under the battery to the car and climbing back into his seat. When he tried the key again, the engine roared to life.

"This car is a piece of crap."

With a murderous look on his face, Puck slowly turned his head to look at Abbey. "My Jeep is _not _a piece of crap!"

~*~  
At 6:00, just as Rachel's alarm was going off, her cell phone beeped twice from her nightstand. Cold air hit her body as she sat up, her ocean of blankets falling from her torso. Even though it felt like ten degrees below zero in her house, Rachel felt bright and away as she stretched her arms before picking up her phone and flipping it open. An animated envelope opened and closed on the screen saying that she gotten a text message and she smiled when _Noah _showed about it.

She opened it, reading it quickly.

**Morning, beautiful. Dropping by around 6:40. –Love, Your Sex God BF**

Rachel felt her heart skip a few beats and she smiled even wider at what could quite possibly be the best wakeup call ever, climbing out of bed and marching over to her bathroom. She decided to skip the elliptical today. Puck was dropping by at 6:40. If she went on it, she would only have ten minutes to take a shower and make sure that she was Noah Puckerman worthy. That did not give her enough time in any sense.

She climbed into the shower after turning on the water and slipping out of her pajamas, quickly washing her body and hair. Rachel stared at the white tile wall of the shower as she ran her fingers through her hair, getting all the conditioner out before turning off the water.

"Rachel?" her dad called, knocking on the door to her bathroom.

She snatched a towel from behind the curtain and wrapped it around her body quickly. "Yes?" she said, pulling the curtain back and stepping out of the tub.

"I just wanted to let you know that Daddy and I are leaving for work," Duncan Berry said from around the corner.

She squeezed the water out of her hair and into the sink. "Oh, okay. I'll see you at dinner."

"Yep. Have a good day at school, darling."

"Have a good day at work," she called before she heard her bedroom door close. A few seconds later, the front door closed and she could hear her father's cars pulling out of the driveway and onto the street.

Rachel went to her room, pressing play on her iPod, singing along to _La Vie Boheme_ from _Rent_ as she got dressed in a bra and underwear. She danced back into her bathroom before she flipped her hair over her head and dried off her hair with a towel, running a brush through it and aiming her hairdryer at her head. When it was nearly dry, she slipped on a red and gray plaid skirt as well as a shirt that had a red and white argyle sweater vest attached to it because she wanted to match a little bit today.

As she was running a brush through her hair for the second time that day, Rachel thought about Puck and the first time they had kissed. He was teaching her to play guitar, which had failed parlously. They had gotten though three chords before the two of them were only millimeters, than there was no distance at all. Rachel remembered that when Puck had first kissed her, it felt like her stomach was rolling over a million times in a washing machine. A very strange prickling feeling had started to slowly creep from her lips to the rest of her body when he pressed his lips to hers that day and she knew that she had never felt that when Finn had kissed her in the bowling alley or in the auditorium when she was practicing his range with him.

That's what it felt like whenever Puck kissed her. It was like her body was set aflame and the fire started where ever it was he kissed her. Even thinking about him made her tingle from the top of her head to the tips of her fingers and toes. He made her feel special, like every kiss and every word he said to her was meant for her, and only for her. Like every time he looked into her eyes, he could see everything about her, the good and the bad, and he didn't care because she was his.

Rachel snapped out of her thought when her alarm went off again, this time as a warning that she could be getting on the elliptical, if she were on it. Her eyes flashed to her iHome, checking the time. It was 6:30. "Ten minutes," she said, smiling to herself as she put on a pair of white socks, folding them over once before putting on a pair of black flats that had a thin strap going across her foot. She looked in the mirror for a moment, chewing on her lip. She didn't want to leave her hair down today, but she didn't want to put it up in a ponytail. She remembered that when she was fourteen, her cousin had taught her how to do a fishtail braid so Rachel did her best to do the braid on herself, finishing it off with a red ribbon that matched her skirt and vest.

"Very good." Her eyes flashed to the clock again. "Five minutes," she said, her breath catching slightly as she walked out of her room and down the stairs to the kitchen. "Distract yourself, Rachel…" She opened the fridge. "Breakfast."

Rachel took some raspberry jam out of the fridge and set it on the table, along with the butter. She took the bread out of the cabinet next to the fridge, and popped two pieces in the toaster. While she was waiting for them to brown, she stared at the clock, trying to force it to go faster. A minute later, the toast popped and the doorbell rang. She took a deep breath and walked to the front door, opening it slowly. She bit her lip when she saw he was wearing his glasses again before smiling.

"Good morning, Noah," she said, letting him into the house.

He coolly walked past her and once the door was closed, he wrapped his arms around her waist and ducked his head down, kissing her. Instantly, the prickly feeling started spreading from her lips, across her cheeks, up her temples and over her head before washing throughout her entire body. "Good morning, sunshine," he said against her lips, smiling.

Rachel pulled away from him slowly, stopping only for a moment to lock eyes with him before taking his hand and pulling him into the kitchen. "I was just making my breakfast… Then we can go."

"Take your sweet ass time," he said, suavely sitting down in one of the kitchen chairs. "I am in no hurry."

With a nod, Rachel took her toast out of the toaster and started spreading the butter over it. Every so often, she would look up at Puck, who was looking back with a slightly glazed look in his eyes. She put some jam over the butter and took a bite, resting her elbows on the table. "What are you thinking about?"

"Santana." Rachel's eyes widened, and she stood up slightly, a shocked look on her face. "No, she just came over last night." She stood all the way up, her jaw open slightly. "And we _talked_. I swear, we only talked. You can ask Abbey, she was there."

"I believe you," Rachel said calmly, taking another bite of toast. "What did you talk about?"

Puck let out a sigh, running a hand over his Mohawk. "We talked about why you and I were together… Why I was with you, why you were with me…"

Rachel's eyebrow arched. "Oh? And what were the conclusions?"

"Well… I'm with you because you're hot, you have a nice ass and, as Santana put it, I fell for you _hard _when we were talking that one time we were going to practice at your house, but didn't." She nodded slowly. "But, for why you were with me…" he trailed off slowly.

"Nothing?" Puck nodded. "Nothing at all?"

He laughed once. "Unfortunately." She took this in for a moment, chewing slowly on her toast. "So, not to sound like a pussy or anything, but, why are you with me, Rachel?"

"Well…" She buttered her other piece of toast, spreading the jam over it and took a breath. "Do you want the complete truth?" Puck nodded. "Honestly, I don't know why I _am _with you… Come to think of it, I don't really even like you. We should break up."

Puck rolled his eyes and she laughed a few times. "Come on, Rach. Seriously."

With a soft smile, Rachel put her toast down and walked over to Puck, sitting on his lap. "Because, whenever I'm with you, I fell like you and I are the only two people in the room, even if we're in a place filled with thousands of people and every time you kiss me, I feel like I'm flying. No one else has ever made me feel that way before, Noah." He grinned and she rested her head on his shoulder. "I'm with you because I'm in love you."

Puck wrapped his arms around her, picking up her toast off the table as he did so. He took a bite, smiling when she looked up at him. "Hey…" Puck looked down at her innocently. "That's my breakfast."

He shoved the rest of the toast into his mouth. "Not anymore, it isn't," he said and she scoffed, rolling her eyes quickly before resting her head back on his shoulder. She snuggled into his chest, and he rested his cheek on the top of her head. "Rachel?"

"Mm?" He looked down at her and she looked up at him, her eyebrows raised expectantly. "What is it, Noah?"

"How do you feel about skipping school?"

**Haha, yeah. Review, darlings. Please, leave me a nice little comment, will ya? **


	31. Day In The City

**Ah, yes… Ditching school. Don't try it at home, Munchies. :) **

Chapter Thirty-One: Day In The City

"What do you want?"

"Abbey! Where are you?" Puck said, taking off his sweatshirt and putting it onto the chair next to him.

"I'm still at Dad's house… Why?"

Puck let out a quick breath, crossing his fingers. "I need you to pretend to be Mom and call the school. Tell them that _I'm _the one taking you to the hospital, not Natalia."

Abbey was silent for a moment. "… Why?"

Rachel, who had gotten up from Puck's lap, placed a mug of tea in front of him. "Because, I'm ditching. It a professional sense." He heard her suck in a breath and he bit his lip. "Come on, you've done it for me before."

"Yeah, but you had already stayed home from school. And you were _supposed _to stay home that day."

Rachel sat back down on his lap, resting her arm on his shoulder as she crossed her legs. "Please? I'll owe you…" he said, taking a few sips of tea before wrapping his free arm around her waist.

"Fine." Puck nodded at Rachel when she bit her lip and then she smiled. "But, you have to give me twenty bucks. And do anything I ask for a week."

"That's a little steep."

"Take off the twenty bucks then." Puck was silent, but Abbey just laughed once. "Deal?"

He bit his lip. "Fine. Deal." Then she hung up and Puck pressed the 'Off' button on Rachel's house phone. "She's gonna do it," he said and he wrapped his other arm around her, kissing her quickly. Rachel smiled, but closed her eyes and shook her head slowly. "What?"

"Nothing."

"No… What? Talk to me."

Rachel was quiet for a moment before she looked at him, her forehead creased slightly. "Maybe this isn't such a good idea…" He frowned. "I don't skip school, Noah. It's not like me, it's not something I do."

Puck laughed once, kissing her temple. "Which is why you've gotta do it. You're straight edge, Rachel. You never do anything bad. But, you're in a relationship with the bad boy. When that happens, the girlfriend tends to start doing what he does. And I expect you to behave as such." She chewed on her lip nervously. "Okay, what's the worst that could happen?"

"Well, they could find out that we're skipping school, then we could get suspended or expelled, or we'd get detention and have to clean the bathrooms at school with Harry the Janitor," she rushed out, fiddling with his fingers slightly.

He scoffed. "Oh, Rachel, Rachel, Rachel. I've skipped school a million times. And I've been caught a thousand times. I've never gotten in trouble." She raised an eyebrow at him. "And it's not like we're doing anything bad while skipping school. Aside from, you know, skipping school. For Christ's sake, if you wanted to, we could just stay here all day, just doing nothing."

"Yeah?" Puck nodded once. "Well… Maybe we could go out for a little bit."

"That's the spirit. Now, we need to call the school and tell them that Perfect Little Miss Berry is going to be out sick. She's come down with a terrible stomach ache and cannot get out of bed," he said, lowering his voice down as much as he could.

Rachel rolled her eyes but handed him the phone. "Just call the school."

With a salute, Puck dialed the number to the school office, pressing the phone tightly to his ear. "Yes, hello," he said suddenly, clearing his throat as he lowered his voice again. "This is Mr. Berry, Rachel Berry's father." There was some chatter from the other end before Puck cleared his throat again. "Yes, I know. Well, I was just calling to say that Rachel has come down with a little bit of a cold, so she won't be coming into school today." Rachel bit down on her lip and Puck smiled, laughing silently. "Oh, no, I'm sure she'll be better by tomorrow. Thank you for your concern, though… Alright, so long."

Then he hung up the phone and looked at her. "They bought it." She smiled, resting her head on his shoulder. "Now, seriously, you don't have anything to worry about. And, if we get caught, you just cry your eyes out and I'll say that it was all my idea."

"Because it _is _all your idea."

"Details, baby, details." She laughed, tilting her head up to kiss his jaw. "So… What to do?"

"Oh, this is where your plan ends?" she said, sitting up and looking at him with a smile. Puck just nodded simply, grinning. "Well… We could go into the city. There are some cute little shops that open at nine o'clock and it takes about an hour to get there."

Puck looked at the clock on the wall and shrugged, smiling. "Sure. Why not? It could be fun…"

"Good." She hopped off his lap. "Just let me change."

"Change?"

She stood by the door, her hands resting on the frame. "Well, I'm not going into the city like this. These are my school clothes. I'm going to wear something more appropriate."

Then, she disappeared and Puck could hear footsteps hitting the stairs. He just sighed, getting up from the chair as he walked into the entrance room of the house where a grand piano sat by the stairs. He pulled out the bench and sat down, resting his fingers on the keys. "Hey, Rachel! Can I play this thing!" he shouted, putting his foot on the pedal.

"You can _try_!" she shouted back, a thumping following her words. "I don't know how successful you'll be though!"

With a roll of his eyes, Puck smirked and played the last few bars of _Claire De Lune_, just to prove to her that he could play. His fingers slowly moved over the length of the piano, notes flying from the body of it and Rachel the appeared on the stairs above him, looking over the railing.

"I didn't know you played piano," she said, adjusting the tank top she was now wearing along with a pair of black leggings. Her hair was hanging in front of her face, taken out from the braid she had before and her eyebrows were raised to nearly her hairline. He just grinned and started playing a prelude by Bach. "Why didn't you tell me?"

Puck shrugged, still grinning. "It's no big deal, really. My dad used to teach me. Just some amateur stuff when I was, like, five, like Twinkle Twinkle and stuff, and then, when he started working for himself and had more time, he started teaching me the more intense stuff, like, well, this…" Rachel smiled softly as he kept playing the piece, getting slightly faster at the end. "When he started working more, though, I taught myself a few things."

"Like what?"

He rolled his eyes. "Abbey forced me to learn _Bella's Lullaby_ from _Twilight_." Puck started playing the song, his hands stretched out to play the right notes. "And then, I taught myself other stuff like… Uh…" He started playing _Don't Stop Believing,_ before shifting it into _Apologize_. "Just some songs that I like."

She nodded slowly, still smiling. "How you do get a chance to do that, though? There isn't a piano in your house…"

Puck started playing _Just The Way You Are_ as he said, "Basement. It used to be upstairs, but then my mom got a china cabinet, so we had to move it down stairs." Rachel mouthed, 'Oh,' and Puck nodded, smiling slightly. "You play piano, right?"

"Since I was four." He moved over on the bench and patted the spot next to him as Rachel descended the stairs slowly, sitting down with a quick roll of her eyes. "I haven't really played recently, so if I mess up, don't say anything."

"I promise."

Rachel nodded and tucked her hair behind her ears as she put her fingers on the keys. She sucked in a deep breath and let it out slowly, closing her eyes for a moment. Then, once she opened them again, her fingers started flying across the keys, moving up and down the piano at rapid speed. Puck's jaw fell open and his eyes widened as he watched her play, not even blinking. She was playing faster than anyone he'd ever seen before and she kept a completely straight face, biting her lip every so often like she was trying to remember the notes. But, it seemed as if she'd known the piece her whole life because she ended the piece without faltering once, her hands slamming down on the keys for the end chord as a slow smile started to creep across her face.

When she looked at him, Puck let out a quick and astonished breath. "Wow." Rachel blushed, running a hand through her hair. "That was… _Really _good…"

"Thanks," she said awkwardly, kicking her feet back and forth.

"What's that called?"

She thought for a moment, her eyes looking up at the ceiling before she snapped her fingers. "_Turkish March_. I learned to play it when I was ten." His eyes opened even wider. "My dads spoiled me. They gave me everything I asked for. Aside from singing and ballet, piano was the only thing that I really stuck to…"

"I see…"

Rachel nodded. "And I just… Really love it."

Puck laughed a few times, still shocked. "I can see that." She pursed her lips together in a smile and Puck pushed a few strands of hair out of her face. "You should probably finish getting dressed. We should leave soon."

"Right…" she said, rising from the bench and looking at him. "I'll be back in just a second."

Then, she scampered back up the stairs, returning with a dark pink sweater over her shoulders and ballet flats on her feet. She had a headband in her hair and she was slipping pink earrings on when she landed on the floor.

"Damn," Puck said, his eyes captured by the amount of cleavage that was now available for his viewing thanks to the very low cut tank top. "You look… _Great_."

She laughed once, pulling a white pea coat off the rack that was by the door. "Thank you. This is my favorite outfit…" He nodded dumbly, his mouth hanging open slightly as he kept staring at her. "If I knew that it was going to get ruined by a Slushee, I would wear it to school, but…"

"I think if you wore it to school, they would be too occupied looking at your tits to do anything," he said in monotone, not breaking away from her chest. After a while of this, Puck knew that she was looking at him with a raised eyebrow, her hands placed on her hips, but he just ignored it. "They're so... like… captivating," he whispered to himself just as Rachel buttoned her coat all the way up. "Ugh… Killjoy."

"Pervert."

With a grin, Puck walked toward her and wrapped his arms around her waist, placing a trail of soft kisses down her jaw line and to her pulse. "Sexy."

Rachel smiled, taking his jaw in her hands and bringing his head up to look at her. "I know I am. But, I'm not giving into you."

Puck let out a disappointed sigh, his head falling into her shoulder. "Why-hy-hy?" he nearly cried, his voice muffled by her jacket. "You're unfair!"

She let out a silent laugh, running her fingers through the end of his Mohawk while the other hand was placed on the back of his neck. "And you are too sexually corrupted for your own good."

"That's true," he said casually, putting his hands on her waist as he stood up. "Okay, let's go. It's quite a haul to the city."

Rachel nodded once, jumping up to kiss him quickly before she walked out the front door into the icy wind blasting into her face. "Ooh, it's chilly," she said, hugging her arms around her tightly.

"Chilly? _Chilly_? Rachel… It's, like, twenty fucking degrees below zero." She rolled her eyes but linked her hand through his, his warm fingers closing around hers. They walked slowly to his Jeep, his eyes not leaving hers until they were at the passenger's side. He opened the door for her, holding his hand out to her. "Madame," he said, helping her up to the seat.

"Why, thank you, sir," Rachel said, gracefully taking his hand and sitting down, placing her hands in her lap. "How very gracious of you."

He bowed before shutting the door and walking swiftly to the other side, getting into the driver's side. "Bungee cord, ma'am?"

Puck offered her the blue bungee cord and she nodded, hooking over her before smiling. "Shall we go?"

He started the car. "We shall."

~*~  
Twenty minutes into the drive, things between the two of them had stayed silent, Puck just driving with one hand as he held Rachel's tightly in the other. Rachel was about to say something to him, but was interrupted, jumping slightly when Puck's cell phone went off. She jumped again when her phone did the same and she reached for both, opening the text messages they got.

"'What's going on? You're not in Spanish, Mr. Schue's wondering where you guys are'," she read from Puck's phone, her eyes' widening when her phone said the same thing. "They're both from Finn…"

Puck slowly turned his head to look at her. "Of _course _they are…"

"What do I say?"

He shrugged. "What we told the secretary… You're sick and I'm with Abbey." Rachel saluted him and typed the messages, sending Puck's two minutes after hers.

"We're going to get caught, Noah," she said, letting out slow, deep breaths. "This was a bad idea. Really, we shouldn't have done this," Rachel mumbled, wringing her hands nervously

The two of them sat in silence for a moment as Puck changed the CDs to a mix of songs by Secondhand Serenade and Jack's Mannequin before he reached across the seat and took Rachel's hand. "I was thinking… Apparently, in Dayton, there's an off-Broadway showing of _Les Mis_ showing at the theater there… Maybe we could get last minute tickets."

"Really?"

He shrugged. "Yeah, why not? I've always kind of wanted to see that show and-"

"… Really?"

"Well, no, but Abbey said that it was really good and you _desperately _need something to get your mind off of this. So, I'm willing to see it if it means you stop trying to rip your fingers off your hands." Rachel looked down and laughed once, embarrassed. "Here, hand me my cell phone. I'll call the theatre and see if they have tickets left."

Rachel's eyebrows rose slightly. "You know the number?"

"Well… Not the number to the theatre. A friend of mine works there. He's gotten me and Abbey in many a time," he said, taking his phone from her and scrolling through his contacts quickly. Rachel watched as he selected a number and pressed the phone to his ear. Puck was silent for a moment before he said, "Hey! Razor, man, it's me. Puck."

"Oh, hey, dude. What's up?"

Puck changed lanes and cleared his throat. "I've got my woman with me. She wants to see _Les Mis_. Can you get us in with decent seats?"

"Noah, they don't need to be decent," she whispered, placing her hand on his arm.

Puck looked at her and shook his head, mouthing for her to be quiet. "Can you do it, man?"

There was silence on the other end. "Uh… I don't know, man. _Les Mis _is pretty popular and matinees are usually filled with men who are having affairs with anorexic blondes who don't know how to control their solar system sixed boob jobs and old people who are so excited to see it they crap in their grown-up diapers."

Puck snorted once, biting his lip to keep from laughing. "You don't have any-" He cleared his throat "-Special seats or anything like that?"

Razor was quiet for a moment before he spoke. "Oh, I gotcha." Puck nodded slowly. "Yeah, of course. I can definitely hook you up with some seats."

"You can?"

"Yep."

He grinned. "Sweet. Thanks a lot, man." Then, Puck hung up the phone and put it in the cup holder, looking at Rachel with a suave grin. "We got seats."

Rachel gasped, clapping her hands together once. "We did?" Puck nodded. "Oh, Noah, that's amazing!" she squealed, wiggling in her seat happily.

A song called _Dark Blue _by Jack's Mannequin came on and Puck laughed once, reaching over to squeeze her hand before Rachel flipped up the console and unhooked the bungee cord, scooting over to sit next to Puck. She rested her head on his shoulder and then took his arm, wrapping it around her shoulders and snuggling even more into his chest. She tilted her chin up, kissing his neck softly and letting her lips linger there for a moment.

"Now, that's what I'm talking about," he said, smiling mockingly as Rachel laughed into his neck before looking out the front window.

She realized then that they were in Dayton and Puck was pulling into a parking garage, stopping in front of a black and yellow striped gate where he put a dollar in change into the little machine. After a second, a little piece of paper shot out and Puck took it before the gate lifted up slowly, allowing him to drive in.

"Keep your eyes peeled for a spot," he said, driving around the hundreds of cars that were parked in the spaces.

The two of them scanned the lot before Puck drove up a ramp to the second floor of the garage. "There!" Rachel said, pointing to an empty spot in between a silver Lexus and a black BMW with tinted windows.

Puck slammed on the breaks and reversed slightly before pulling into the space and parking the car. Puck climbed out of the car and opened the back seat door, grabbing a scarf before looking at Rachel, who was standing next to him. "Where to?" he said, wrapping it around his neck and tucking it into his jacket.

She linked her fingers through his. "Well, _first_, I would love to go get something to drink." He arched his eyebrow at her. "There's a cute little coffee place. They have _really _good mint tea."

"And where would we find this 'cute little coffee place'?"

With a smile, Rachel started walking, dragging Puck along with her as she headed to the stairs that lead to the ground floor of the garage. "Down the street…" He followed her out of the garage and onto the sidewalk, where it had started to drizzle slightly. Puck scoffed, rolling his eyes. "Ugh, Drizzle."

"What?"

"Huh? Nothing." Rachel looked away from him and checked both ways before the two of them crossed the street. "Alright, so, lead me to this coffee shop," he said as they picked up speed when a car honked at them, jumping onto the sidewalk as Puck flipped the driver off.

Rachel nodded and the two of them wandered down the sidewalk silently, their feet scraping along the pavement as they walked silently to the Honeymoon Café. By the time they got there, Rachel's hair was damp and stringy and Puck's face had little beads of water dripping down his forehead and into his eyes.

"We need an umbrella," he said, looking down at her as she wrung her hair out onto the ground.

Rachel looked up at him, biting her lip. "Agreed." She looked at the little store next to the coffee shop. "They sell umbrellas there," she said, pointing to it with her thumb.

He nodded. "Brilliant. You get the umbrella, I'll get the tea."

She saluted him and retreated into the store, leaving Puck to walk into the café and order to piping hot mint teas with two sugars in one and three in the other, because he just happened to know that Rachel liked her tea a little bit sweeter than needed. But, only just happened to know.

Four hours later, after extensive and unnecessary shopping on Rachel's part, the two of them walked out of The City Diner after lunch, Rachel toting five shopping bags filled with too many head accessories, three pairs of flats, which Puck thought was ridiculous because he was sure she already had, like, a bajillion pairs, as well as old books she'd gotten from a rundown book store on a corner that she claimed were the best books ever written. Puck was holding only one bag that had some books for Abbey—because he knew she was looking for additions to her book nook—and a few t-shirts that he got in a thrift store.

They were walking down a wide sidewalk, which had a few people here and there, as they headed toward the last store Rachel wanted to go to.

"Rachel… You've got a million things already. Seriously. And besides, it's almost one," he said, awkwardly looking at his watch since he had the umbrella over her head. "_Les Mis_ starts in a half an hour and the theatre is fifteen minutes away.

"I know, I know, I know, but we _have _to go to this store. I love it. If Dayton wasn't an hour away, I would work here." He stopped short and looked at her, his eyebrows raised while at the same time he looked bored. She turned around and placed her hands on her hips as best she could, tapping her foot on the ground. "Honestly, Noah. It's literally right around the corner."

He groaned, but kept walking, sighing when they turned the corner and the store Rachel was talking about sat directly to his right. "Okay, let's go in. We've got a limited about of time."

Rachel pushed the door open and stepped in, holding it open for Puck as he closed the umbrella and walked in behind her. The shop was a lot like the thrift store they'd just been in, but instead it smelled like old books and wood polish, just like library, or the book nook. There was a gathering of old grandfather clocks in the middle of the room and pictures in old, golden frames hanging on the walls. A bookshelf was pushed in one corner with dull covered books piled on it and a display of skeleton keys next to it.

"It's an antique store," he said in a concluding voice, looking at some delicate looking china figures on a table.

Rachel nodded as she passed by the bookshelf to look at the skeleton keys. "You got it. I _love _this store. I collect all kinds of stuff here."

"Collecting for what?" Puck said, examining some crystal glasses that were collecting dust.

"Hmm? Oh, uh, for something. I'll show you when we get back to my house." Puck just nodded as Rachel snatched up a doorknob from the table. "Excuse me, how much is this?"

The salesman turned and looked at her, placing his hands on his hips. "Oh, I'm sorry, Rachel. That's not for sale."

"They know her here?" Puck whispered to himself, looking at the doorknob in Rachel's hand.

The brunette rolled her eyes. "Thom, _everything _here has a price. I want to know this one."

The so-called Thom took the doorknob from her, examining for a second. It was made of metal, but was hollow, looking like a decorative heating grate. "Well… It did fall off that cabinet over there…" He pointed to a cabinet that did, in fact, have a handle missing. "But, if you're insisting on buying it…"

"Insisting like I always do."

"Then it's three dollars." Rachel reached into the pocket of her jacket and handed the man the bills before hand gave the door knob back to her. "Oh, and I've been meaning to telephone you about this."

Puck made a confused face. "What the hell? They know you here and they 'telephone' you about arrivals at an antique store?"

Rachel glared at him playfully, but smiled. "_Yes_, they do. I've been collecting stuff from here since I was ten. I come here almost every two weeks."

"Collecting for _what_?" he said again, his eyes wide as he became slightly hysterical.

She laughed a few times. "Noah, calm down." She looked back to Thom. "You were going to call about?"

The man, who had been watching their small conversation with raised eyebrows, suddenly jumped back into reality. "Yes, of course. I've been meaning to call you about the pocket watch episode you had, when you came a few months ago asking for pocket watches?"

Rachel gasped slightly. "Yes, that's right! I completely forgot about that."

Thom smiled. "_Well_, we had a man come in, maybe in his forties or some such like that… He said that he had some pocket watches me wanted to sell to me."

"Oh? Why is that?"

"Very sad story. His father died and said that he wanted his pocket watch collection to come here. His father used to be the owner of this establishment." Rachel nodded. "Anyway, I put them away for you because I know you were looking for them. Would you like me to go fetch them for you?"

Rachel smiled excitedly. "That would be wonderful."

As the man walked away and disappeared through a doorway, Puck turned to Rachel. "You are a mystery to me," he said blatantly, and she laughed, looking up at him. "A real fucking mystery."

"Okay, Noah. You're making a really big deal about this. It's _not _a big deal." His raised his eyebrows. "You know how I paint? Secretly, but you know about it anyway because there are paintings around the house?" He nodded slowly, chewing on the inside of his lip. "Well, my painting room is… Let's just say it's decorated."

"With doorknobs and pocket watches?"

"Yes."

Thom then appeared back in the room, holding an old looking wooden box with a lock on the front. "Here it is," he said, setting it on a practically empty table in front of Rachel. "Comes with the box and this key." He handed Rachel a bronze skeleton key that matched the lock. "It's twenty dollars."

"Just twenty?" Thom nodded, leaning on hand on the table as Rachel smiled. "That's perfect." She turned to Puck. "Noah, can I borrow twenty dollars?"

He rolled his eyes, reaching into his back pocket as he said, "In addition to the sixty you've already borrowed?" as he handed her the money. Rachel grinned and handed the money to Thom, who took it to the cash register, as well as the box and key, putting them in a white paper bag and handing it to her. "Alright, ready to go?" he said, holding the bag for her as she turned toward him.

"Yes… Thank you, Thom, for holding the watches for me, and for selling me the doorknob." He nodded, smiling. "I'll see you in a few weeks," she said as the two of them walked out of the store and onto the sidewalk again, Puck opening the umbrella and holding it over their heads. "Okay, _now _we can go."

"Good," he said as they started power walking down the sidewalk, getting to the theatre in less than ten minutes. "Quick, Rachel, in here," Puck said once the two of them had walked into a large marble lobby with five different sets of stairs in front of them. "VIP room."

She followed him through a door not far from the ticket booth and the two of them entered a very small room with a couch in one corner, a mini fridge in the other, and a man with shaggy blonde hair lounging on the couch, a pillow over his face and a black vest on a chair next to him.

"Oi," Puck said, kicking the man's foot before he jumped to a start. "We're here."

The man sat up and looked at them. "Scared the shit out of me," he said, fixing his messy hair. "Who's the girl?"

"_My _girl, Rachel. You're helping us in, right?"

He nodded, standing up and offering his hand to Rachel. "I'm Razor, but here I go by Lucas, because this is a professional place and not the place where I tattoo and pierce suckers who are willing to pay for it."

Rachel smiled, shaking his hand. "Hello, I'm Rachel."

Razor/Lucas grinned and threw on his vest. "Alright. Let's do this. You guys want to leave your bags here? I promise I'll watch 'em for you."

She bit her lip and looked up at Puck for an answer and he just shrugged. "Sure, man, but if you steal anything you owe me a free tattoo."

"Deal," he said, putting the bags at the end of the couch. "Alright, madam and sire, follow me. I'll show you to your seats."

Tangling his fingers with hers, Puck and Rachel followed Razor/Lucas out of the room and back into the lobby, where they then climbed up one of the sets of stairs. "Noah, what's going on? Where are we going?" she stage whispered, tugging on his hand.

"VIP seats, babe." She narrowed her eyes at him. "Just trust me. Just like skipping school, I do this all the time. Where we go, no one ever does. Our seats are way too expensive for commoners like these people-" He gestured to the people below them "-To ever get."

"_Noah_."

Puck held her hand tighter, kissing her temple. "Calm your freaking tits, woman, okay? You've got to trust. Seriously. Live a little." They walked into a dark hall with pictures on the wall of casts from _Spring Awakening, Billy Elliot, Wicked, West Side Story _and other productions that Rachel couldn't name who had performed in the theatre. Soon, Razor/Lucas lead them to a red curtain and opened it for them, sweeping his hand into the opening. "After you, Rach," Puck said, putting his hand on the small of her back.

She glared at him for a moment, but then walked in, instantly regretting nagging him. She was standing in a balcony right in front of the stage with two chairs placed in it, ones that had wooden legs and red fabric on them, like chairs they would have if royalty just happened to drop in for a show. She let out a slow breath, walking to the edge of the balcony and looking over the thick railing where people were filing into their seats.

"Noah, this is fantastic," she breathed out, turning around to look at him.

He was sitting in one of the chairs, leaning on one arm as his chin was placed in his palm. "I told you to trust me, didn't I?" She nodded, sitting down next to him and crossing her legs at the knee. "VIP room. No one sits here because the seats are so freaking expensive. Razor gets me and Abbey in for free all the time."

Just then, Razor/Lucas appeared next to them, handing Rachel two programs as well as two pairs of opera glasses. "Is there anything else I can get you two fine children who are breaking the law by both skipping school and seeing a performance without paying?"

"Uh, yeah, the usual for me, and one for the lady as well," Puck said, ignoring Razor's comment as he took a program from Rachel and opened it.

Razor/Lucas nodded and left the box as Rachel turned to look at Puck. "What's the usual?"

"Root beer and a couple bags of Swedish fish," he said casually, flipping through his program nonchalantly as a smile broke across Rachel's face.

"You are quite possibly the strangest but most amazing person I've ever met," she said, putting her hand over his. He shrugged, closing the program and picking up a pair of opera glasses. "No, I'm serious. You can do all these things that I'm sure no one else can do. You got us into _Les Mis _at the very last minute, and in VIP seats no less, not to mention the fact that you took me into the city today." Puck looked at her slowly, his face soft as he smiled. "You're wonderful. I love you."

He gave her a crooked smile, resting his forehead against hers. "I love you, too. But you're half the reason I'm so wonderful. Even though a lot of people think that I'm cool as hell and would never do anything even _close _to spontaneous and romantic-ish and that you have a stick stuck up your ass, whenever you're with me, I'm like a cheesy and stereotypical love interest in a chick click and you're almost as bad as I am. You ditched school with me today for Pete's sake. I'm pretty sure that everyone in the school thought that swines would start flying about before you skipped school, and with me. And, you're weird as fuck, decorating your art room with doorknobs and pocket watches. But, that weirdness and willingness to step into the unknown, such as skipping school, is what makes me do all these strange but amazing things."

Rachel's heart beat sped up to a million miles an hour when Puck said this and all she could do is sit there and smile before he tangled his fingers into her damp hair and bring her lips to his. She leaned into him, deepening this kiss just as he parted her lips with his own. Rachel could feel his hot breath in her mouth just before he broke away, making her frown.

Razor/Lucas walked in then, carrying two bottles of root beer as well as a handful of Swedish fish bags. "Here you are. Enjoy the show," he said, handing them to Puck before leaving once again.

The two of them opened the first yellow bag of little red fish, laughing and smiling as they ate them before the lights started to go down and they were surrounded by darkness.  
They sat in silence together, their fingers linked around each other as their other hands held the opera glasses to their face. During intermission, they just sat there, eating more Swedish fish that Razor/Lucas had brought them and by the start of the second act, Rachel had shifted from her seat to Pucks lap, her bare feet resting on her old seat as she leaned against his chest.

Soon, the performance was over and Rachel leaped off Puck's lap and started clapping when the cast started to walk on stage for their bows. As Valjean, the last person to bow, appeared on the stage, Puck and Rachel clapped loudly and Puck whistled through his fingers every once and a while until the curtains closed and the lights came back on. Once Rachel could see Puck's face, she turned to him and threw her arms around his middle, giving him a tight hug.

"Noah! Thank you so much," she said, wiggling slightly in her spot before pulling away. They started cleaning up the empty bags of Swedish fish, tossing them and their empty root beers into a trash can as they exited the balcony. "This is was amazing, really."

He smiled, running his hand through her hair softly before kissing her for a moment. "Anything for you, babe," he said, offering his arm to her, which she took with a smile, her hand resting on his forearm.

They climbed slowly down the stairs case and when they landed on the marble floor, Razor/Lucas appeared, carrying their shopping bags and umbrella. "Did you enjoy your show?" he said as the two of them divided the bags between them.

"Yes, we did. Very much. It was the best production of _Les Mis _I've ever seen," Rachel said, beaming up at Puck. "And I've seen quite a few."

Puck laughed once, kissing her temple as Razor/Lucas nodded. "Wonderful. And the old people who were so excited to see this that they can't help but crap their diapers or the businessmen who are having affairs with anorexic blondes who can't control their solar system sized boobs didn't faze you at all? You weren't distracted?"

"No, I don't think so. It was a pretty…" Puck trailed off as he looked closely at a blonde man who was standing by a giant billboard for _Les Mis_, his jaw dropped slightly. "Mr.… Mr. _Fabray_?" he said, nearly throwing up the name.

The man looked up when he heard his name and searched the crowd of people until he landed on Puck. "Noah Puckerman!" he said, walking over to them. "How are you, son?"

With wide eyes, Puck shook the hand he offered. "I'm fine, how are you?" he said dumbly, nearly in shock.

Mr. Fabray nodded and Rachel watched closely, holding her breath as she waited for something to happen. "So, what are you doing here, Mr. Puckerman?"

"I'm just seeing the show with my girlfriend, Rachel…" Mr. Fabray nodded to her and all she could do is stare. "What are you doing here?"

"Same…" Puck's eyes widened even more. "Except, uh, with my, um…" He cleared his throat. "With my business associate." Just then, a tall blonde girl with, yes, solar system sized boobs came and stood next to him, running her finger down his arm seductively as she looked up at him through her lashes. "Well, I should probably leave… Get back to work and all…"

As the two of them left, Mr. Fabray towing Solar System girl behind him, Rachel and Puck slowly turned and looked at each other, their jaws nearly to the floor and their eyes so wide they were starting to dry up.

"Oh, my God," Puck said finally, his eyes still wide. "Oh, my God…" Rachel nodded in agreement as she started to chew on her lip nervously. "Like, oh my _God_."

"I know…" she said in shock.

Puck shook his head, as if he were trying to clear it. "Oh, my _God_!"

**OH MY GOD! Review, damn it. **


	32. Caught in The Storm

**LOLZ **

Chapter Thirty-Two: Caught In the Storm

When Puck and Rachel made it back to her house, it was almost four o'clock and the rain was coming down hard. The two of them bolted from the car to her house, bursting through the door once Rachel had gotten it open.

"Damn," Puck said, shaking off his head as rain flew in every direction. "I think it's raining, Rach."

She took off her jacket and hung it up. "Oh, what makes you say that?" she grinned, kicking off her flats and searching through her shopping bags absently.

"I don't know…" He laughed once, but then let out a sigh. "I should probably go. Abbey should be home by now…"

Rachel stood up, holding the wooden box that was filled with pocket watches, as well as the key and doorknob. "Oh, you're not simply _dying _to know what I'm going to do with these, since you very nearly jumped down my throat in the antique store?"

"Oh, right. Well, I'll see that, and then I should go. I still have to figure out what I'm going to do for dinner."

With a nod, she headed off to the room that was near the staircase, which Puck remembered as her trophy room. In the dim light that was shining in from the front entrance, Puck could see another door, with Rachel unlocked and pushed open. He followed her in and was standing in complete darkness for a moment before a light flicked on to reveal the room. He was silent as he looked around.

There was a bathtub in the corner, with paint dripping down the sides and inside, there were blank canvases, painted canvases, half done canvases, as well as picture frames. Next to that, there were glass bottles stacked on top of each other and hot glued together to make the shape of what seemed to be a stretched Egyptian pyramid that reached all the way to the ceiling, but wasn't very wide. Hanging all over the very high ceiling from white string where different doorknobs, not a single one alike and all over the walls where realistically sized black shoe prints, walking all over one wall before it dipped and crossed onto another wall. The floor the reverse sides of CDs with plastic circular gems in the holes, glued there like tiles on a bathroom floor. On the wall to Puck's right, there were different types of plates—both china, ceramic, metal and crystal—were glued to the wall, starting from the middle of the wall and exploding outward, making a strange shape from the different sizes. On the wall opposite was the same thing, but with pocket watches that were open, the covers down toward the ground as the clock face was out toward the room.

Puck was standing there for five minutes, just looking at the room, before he turned to Rachel, who was now standing on a stepstool that was covered in puzzle pieces, hanging the doorknob from the ceiling. "Rachel," he breathed, leaning against the closed door behind him. He instantly stood back up when something had dug into his back and he turned around to see that Rachel had glued every kind of iPod as well as different cell phones and other electronic devises to the door, covering the whole thing.

She turned and looked at him, climbing down from the stepstool and placing her hands on her hips. "What do you think?"

"I think this extends my theory of you being a total fucking mystery," he said, standing up on his toes and reaching his arm up to tap some of the doorknobs, making them swing back and forth. "But, this is seriously cool… And totally not like you."

Rachel laughed once, plugging in a giant hot glue gun before she put the wooden box on a table that was completely hidden under a wide variety of buttons and pushed against the wall directly to Puck's right. "I know it's not like me, but in a way, it is," she said, unlocking the box and looking at the large amount of silver, gold and copper pocket watches that sat in side. Puck's forehead creased and Rachel continued. "The door with the iPods and cell phones?" He nodded. "I started that the day Dave Karoffski snatched my cell phone away and broke it. The pink flip phone in the very center of the door are the remnants of my poor phone." Puck winced, running his hand on the back of his neck. "And the plates? I started that when Quinn started calling me RuPaul and ManHands."

"I'm sorry."

Rachel ignored him. "The doorknobs started the day people started putting mean comments on my videos that I post on MySpace, and I would put a new one up every time someone said I should fall into a pit and die. The stool was just a little project after Quinn stole my undergarments in gym class when we were doing swimming in the pool and hung them from the flagpole." His jaw clenched as he held his hands in fists, looking at Rachel with sad eyes. "The table was started when Santana dumped an entire three bottles of paint on me in art class once… Oh, and you're going to get a kick out of this one…" Puck felt his stomach drop. "That bottle tower?" she said, pointing to it as she turned and faced Puck. "I made that the first time you threw a Slushee in my face."

His heart beat nearly stopped when she said that, and he could detect a slight waver in her voice as she tried to smile through the tears that were gathering in her eyes. "Shit, Rachel, I'm sorry," he said, striding toward her and taking her face in his hands, kissing her deeply. "I'm so sorry," he would whisper as he started planting kisses all over her face. "So…" Kiss. "So…" Kiss. "Sorry."

Puck heard Rachel start to laugh and he pulled away to see her eyes shining. "Its okay, Noah," she said, reaching up to put on hand on the side of his face. "Really, it's okay." He shook his head, frowning but Rachel just nodded. "It is. Without all that, I would never have made all this," she said, her eyes flashing around the room. "This would never even exist if that hadn't happened, so, don't worry about it." He was quiet, but he let his hands drop from her face to her waist as she smiled.

"And besides, you and I are together now, and none of that is happening anymore, right?" she said, turning away to lightly tap her fingers against the end of the glue gun to see if it was hot enough. "So, please, just forget it."

Puck nodded and stepped away, putting his hands in his pockets. "I should probably go… Abbey's waiting."

"Yeah, probably." He turned to leave. "Hey," she said as Puck turned back around, his eyebrows raised to her. She reached out and took his scarf in her hand, pulling him toward her. "Thank you for today," she said as her lips were almost touching his. "It was wonderful."

He suddenly smiled, moving his head forward so his lips where pressed against hers. "You're welcome… I'll see you tomorrow."

With a nod from Rachel, Puck then left the room and she waited until she heard the front door close before she smiled and started opening the pocket watches, gluing them to the wall.

Quinn and Finn sat in the dining room, eating dinner while they did their homework. Just as Quinn twirled some pasta around on her fork, Finn looked up at her and put his pencil down. "Quinn, what are you going to do about the Cheerios?"

She swallowed her spaghetti and licked her lips, looking at him for a minute. "What do you mean?"

"I guess because… You're all, like, pregnant and stuff… Don't you think you should quit?" he said, cutting a meatball with his fork before popping it into his mouth. "Like, doing what you do in practice can't be good for a baby."

Quinn smiled. "Well, she's not even growing yet." Finn looked at her blankly and Quinn swallowed, looking right back at him. "Finn, do you want me to quit the Cheerios?"

He nodded slowly before looked down at his homework, doodling an explosion off of a two he'd just written down. "Yeah, kind of." She reached across the table and used her pencil to push his chin up, making him look at her. "I mean, I don't want to make you or anything, but I think that the glee club is more supportive of you. We're… Better."

"…Better," she said, leaning on her elbows and tilting her head to the side slightly. "Better because…"

"Well, yeah. I mean, I know you're captain and everything and that's great, really…" He trailed off and Quinn nodded for him to continue. "But, Ms. Sylvester is, like, Satan and I know you don't like her…" She laughed quietly, covering her mouth with her hand. "And- And- …And honestly," he stuttered, running a hair through his messy hair, "honestly, you look so much happier when you're in glee club then when you're cheering."

She looked taken aback, her hand on her chest as her eyes widened at him. "I do?"

He nodded. "…Yeah. Like, I was watching you when you were practicing your duet with Tina a couple weeks ago. You looked really happy, but then, that day when you were going down to the field, you looked really depressed. Really, really miserable, I guess…"

Quinn ran a hand through her hair, which she had let down again, and she chewed on the inside of her cheek. She knew what he was talking about. Ever since she joined glee club, she'd been feeling more happy than she'd ever felt before. It was something that she really loved. Quinn had always liked singing, and she had liked cheerleading, too, but over the two years she'd been doing it, she had seen the person she'd turned into. And that was not someone who she particularly enjoyed being.

"I'm not saying that you have to call up Ms. Sylvester right now and tell her you're quitting," Finn said, interrupting her train of thought. "But telling her sometime soon would be a good idea, I guess."

Quinn smiled and reached across the table, putting her hand on his arm. "If you want me to quit, then I will."

"Really?"

She let out a long breath, but still smiled. "Yeah, I will. I've been thinking about quitting recently, actually." _Well, not recently, _she thought to herself, sucking her lips in between her teeth as she thought back to what Puck had said only the day before. "In fact, I'll quit tomorrow."

Finn looked up at her, a slight smile on his lips. "You don't have to do that."

"Your smile says otherwise," she said, getting up from her seat. She leaned over the table and kissed him quickly before taking her empty glass and heading to the kitchen to fill it up with ice water. "And, anyway," she said as she sat back down. "You're right… I have been miserable in Cheerios since I joined glee club. I do like singing better."

He smiled, but didn't say anything and just went back to eating his dinner and doing his homework. Quinn did the same, smiling when he reached out and took her hand in his, running his thumb over her knuckles. His hand was warm and welcoming and Quinn felt like her insides were starting to melt slightly, starting at her fingers and slowly crawling down her arm before it spread at her shoulder, covering her entire body.

The two of them sat like that until they had finished their homework, and by ten o'clock, Finn was yawning from being at football practice every day for a straight week as they got ready for their game coming up. She let him go to bed, kissing his cheek softly before he retreated to his room and Quinn to hers, standing in the middle of the room with her hands on her hips. She was still in her Cheerios uniform and so she slipped it off, but instead of hanging it up in the closet, she folded it neatly on her desk and put her cheering sneakers on top of it.

There was a crack of thunder as she pulled on a pair of pajama pants and a t-shirt, crawling into bed. She picked up her book from its place on her night stand, but she couldn't focus on reading. All she could concentrate on was what she had thought when Finn was talking to her. Quinn remembered that in middle school, she wasn't popular because she was a cheerleader. She was popular because she was nice to _everyone_. Even Jacob Ben Israel and Lauren Zizes, who had always given her attitude whenever Quinn would say 'Hi' to her. But, she never let that faze her and Quinn would just go on being friendly and smiley to everyone.

In eighth grade, she wasn't friends with Brittany and Santana. She didn't really know Puck or Finn, she only saw them around the school and out of the entire glee club, the person she was closest to friend wise at the time, was Rachel. Except, Rachel was always busy with dance lessons and piano lessons and singing lessons that Quinn was usually at home after school, aside for the rare day where Rachel was free and the two of them would bike down to the 7-Eleven that was near Quinn's house and get Slushees.

But, when they went to high school, Quinn's mom said that she was tired of Quinn sitting around after school every day. For three whole days before the first day of school, her mom went on and on about how when she was in high school, she was captain of the cheerleading team and was voted 'Prettiest Senior' in her year book. For those three days, she kept telling Quinn that she should try out for the cheerleading team and that it wouldn't be too bad because she had only quit gymnastics a year ago. It was brought up at every night at dinner, then every morning at breakfast until she finally said she would do it.

And then it was cheerleading ever since then. She made the squad after doing a flawless back handspring and a breathtaking standing back tuck, and Santana and Brittany, who had made the squad for the same reasons, just fawned over her because she was _so _amazing and _so _totally perfect at cheerleading and _so _unfairly gorgeous. And Quinn just soaked up the praise, because they had said they _so _adored her. It went to her head and she got high off of people looking up to her adoringly, so she started hanging out with Brittany and Santana, which resulted in hanging out with Finn and Puck.

Rachel started to slowly slip away from her as Quinn got manicures and pedicures and went over to Santana's house almost every day after school along with Brittany. Rachel would call her on the days she was free, but Quinn wouldn't answer it because Santana had said that Rachel was a creepy, stalking dwarf who shouldn't be calling Quinn. Even though she knew it was mean, Quinn listened to her and would just ignore the call and slip her phone into her bag.

And soon, those house visits turned into mall visits when Santana got her learner's permit. They would pile into the Mustang her grandmother bought her and no one was there to tell them that they couldn't do so because her grandmother was always out either playing BINGO or at the nursing home visiting Santana's grandfather. They would blast music and sing loudly and buy the most expensive clothes they could find for a party they would go to every Friday night.

It was at those parties where Quinn had really started to get Rachel down. During a slightly drunken—Thanks to Puck—game of Truth or Dare, Santana had dared Quinn to call Rachel and tell her that she was a loser and she didn't deserve to live because she dressed like a toddler and that's why Quinn didn't want to see her fugly face anymore. And Quinn had done it because it was Truth or Dare, and you have to follow the rules. She didn't even think twice about it because she was so caught up in the rush of being popular just because she was a cheerleader. Quinn hadn't talked to Rachel in months and Santana had put Rachel down more than enough, so why couldn't Quinn do it once? It didn't do anything to her, so she found no problem with it. After Santana had dared Quinn to call Rachel, Quinn dared Puck to throw a Slushee in her face the next day. Quinn said it had to be a Slushee because that's what she and Rachel used to drink together and Quinn just knew that if Rachel knew that Quinn had told Puck to do it, then it would just make it so much funnier.

It was also at those parties where Quinn started to realize that she was not just pretty, she was a goddess. They were playing spin the bottle in Santana's giant basement, and Finn spun the bottle for a kiss on the lips and it had landed on Quinn. While everyone 'Ooh'ed mockingly, Finn leaned across the circle and kissed her, giving Quinn her first kiss, and her first crush. For the rest of that party, Quinn would look at Finn and flash her eyes away when he looked at her.

The party had been a wild one, consisting of Finn spilling his beer on Quinn, Matt Rutherford getting Seven Minutes in Heaven with Brittany, Mike Chang also getting Seven Minutes in Heaven with Brittany and Puck feeling up Santana just because he felt like it. It ended with Quinn wearing a pair of Santana's pajamas while they put her Cheerios uniform on the dry cleaning pile and Finn telling Quinn that he was sorry a million times. After the million and second time, Quinn grabbed the collar to his shirt and pulled him toward her, kissing him again before telling him, for the million and second time, that it was okay.

He asked her out the next day. From then on, Quinn's life was all about Finn, cheerleading and her friends. Santana started insulting Rachel to her face at school, and a few days later, Quinn started doing the same. Then, the Slushees in the face started happening more and more often, as did Rachel's videos on MySpace. So, Quinn started commenting on the videos, saying basically the same thing she had said to Rachel that one time she had called her on a dare and from then on, it was always about torturing Rachel than ignoring her, like it had been in the beginning.

As Quinn thought back on all of this, she felt a twisting feeling in her stomach and a tightening in her chest. She knew that she had never felt bad about what she was doing to Rachel because she was always so high on the fact that she was being praised, but now that she thought about it, when the praise had died down, it made her want to hurl. Quinn was always so awful to Rachel, but Rachel, even now, was nice to Quinn. She was the only one who was nice to Quinn when the pregnancy was first discovered and she was just as nice when she found out that the baby belonged to _her _boyfriend, and not Quinn's. After all the torturing, insulting and Slushee throwing, Rachel was still as nice to Quinn now as she was when the two of them were friends.

Quinn sighed and stuck a bookmark between the pages she hadn't been reading, and shut her book, dropping it on the floor. Rachel was nice, and she was a bitch. _Great_, she thought to herself, switching the light off and wiggling down into her bed. She made the decision then, before she fell asleep, that she would be nice to Rachel from that moment on. And it would be put into immediate action as of tomorrow… Yeah, that was a good plan. Aside from Puck and Finn, Rachel was sort of all that Quinn had. Since Santana and Brittany, who had just _so _adored Quinn in the beginning, had dropped her with no problem whatsoever, and since she wasn't really friends with anyone in the glee club, Rachel was Quinn's only friend.

If that's what you could call someone who's nice to you after you treated her like shit.

Rachel stood in her art room, glue gun in one hand and pocket watch in the other. It was the last one in the box, a silver one that didn't have any designs of anything on the outside, and the clock was very simple, with black numbers and silver hands, a little window next to the 3, that would be showing the correct date if it were the 14th, which it wasn't. Rachel had spent the last few hours staring at the wall, only moving every half hour or so when she found the right place for a watch she had in her hand.

In those few hours, the clump of watches had turned into, well, a bigger clump. But, that's where she was headed with it. Rachel had tried to distract herself as much as possible from the thunder that was rumbling outside, as well as the lightening that made her room a little bit brighter every time it flashed in the small window above the bathtub filled with canvases and picture frames. She wasn't a fan of lightening storms. The fact that there was electricity flashing outside her window every other second that could very easily kill her wasn't really a thought that she found particularly appealing.

So, she tried to ignore it by gluing pocket watches to the wall. Just as she was pressing the watch onto the mountain of glue she'd made, the house phone started to ring. Rachel held her thumb against the watch for another second before putting the glue gun down and scrambling into the trophy room to answer the phone.

"Hello?" she said, taking the only cordless phone back into her room as she unplugged the glue gun.

"Hey!" two familiar voices said. "We haven't talked to you in ages!"

She sat down on an armchair she'd glued seashells to during her summer vacation last year, crossing her legs on the soft but worn away fabric of the seat. "Kurt! Mercedes! Oh, my gosh! How are you guys?"

"Just as fabulous as ever, girl!" Mercedes said and Kurt laughed in agreement. "How are you, Diva? We've missed you."

Rachel let out a sigh, leaning back and setting her free arm on the armrest of the chair. "I'm really well. I guessed I've just been too wrapped up in, well, Noah."

Mercedes scoffed playfully Kurt laughed once. "That's okay. We've been pretty busy too."

"Oh, have you?"

He 'Mm-hmm'ed. "Very busy." She was silent as she waited for him to continue. "So, Nathan…"

"And Matt," Mercedes added in, the sound of a nail file filling Rachel's ear. She instantly felt a smile branch across her face at those two names. "Matt and I are dating. Official and everything," she said casually, making Rachel scream in delight.

"Mer_cedes_," she said, clutching the phone in her ear. "That's fabulous."

There was a crack of thunder and Rachel jumped in her seat, her eyes flashing to the window nervously. Her friend laughed, but Kurt cut in, interrupting Rachel and Mercedes' conversation. "Yes, yes, but me and _Nathan_…"

"Yes?" Rachel said excitedly, biting her lip.

Kurt cleared his throat. "We have been going out every weekend since the masquerade party. And after our first date, he called me the next day to tell me that he couldn't stop thinking about me." Rachel gasped. "I know!" Kurt said gleefully, clapping his hands together rapidly. Another crack of thunder and Rachel shrieked silently, but Kurt didn't hear. "Rach, it's so amazing. Nathan is _great_. He's, like, exactly like me. He loves musicals and fashion and, oh, my God, his skin is amazing. I'm just like so happy and it's all thanks to you."

"Oh, that's not true. You're the one who wooed him, right?"

Mercedes snorted and Rachel heard Kurt hit her lightly, making her scoff, offended. "Well, yes, I did do that, but you introduced us. If it weren't for you, I wouldn't be so happy right now! So, tha-"

Everything suddenly went silent and the lights flickered on and off, surrounding Rachel in darkness. "Hello?" she said, looking at the phone before pressing it back to her ear. "Kurt? Mercedes?" The lights were still flickering, but then the room went black. "Oh, dear," she said to herself, her heart beat picking up speed slightly.

So, maybe Rachel was also afraid of blackouts because the thought of the weather being so strong that it cuts off electricity isn't really her bread and butter. Her hands started to shake slightly and she screamed when a flash of lightening illuminated the room as the light reflected off the CDs on the floor. The sound of thunder filled her ears as she rose shakily from the chair and stumbled for the door, flinging it open. The trophy room was dark as well, filling up with the bright white light every time lightening flashed outside.

Her heart beat picked up speed when there was a sudden banging, but Rachel didn't know where it came from. It grew louder as thunder started crashing through the air for a straight minute, lightening flashing every five seconds. The corded phones started ringing loudly and Rachel suddenly felt like the air around her was pressing in on her body and she had to gasp for air. The banging grew even louder and she flicked her eyes around in the darkness, trying to figure out where it was coming from. Rachel tried to go to the dining room to answer the phone, but she whacked her foot against the door frame on the trophy room and she fell into the stairs, tears now streaming down her face as she held her head in her hands, her palms pressed against her ears.

"Stop, stop, stop," she shouted, squeezing her eyes shut as she tried to control her tears and her shaking hands.

Suddenly, everything went silent and dark. Slowly, Rachel lifted her head up and opened her eyes just as lightening struck again and there was a dark figure standing in front of the window that looked out to the front yard, the figure silhouetted by the blinding light. She let out a high pitched scream, scrambling up the stairs backwards by her hands.

"No, no, Rachel, calm down. It's me."

She didn't listen. She was too terrified to focus and pay attention to the dark figure that was speaking. In the flashes of light that appeared outside, Rachel could see the figure advancing toward her, walking up the stairs as she desperately crawled backwards, kicking her feet out at any chance she could.

"Rachel! Stop kicking! It's me! Stop ki- Ah!"

Rachel felt her foot kick the person's stomach, but when they hunched over, they grabbed her ankle. "Let me go, rapist!" she screamed, flailing her foot for a moment before she stopped, recognizing the touch; soft and gentle, but strong and protecting.

Her breathing picked up and she fell completely silent, her throat completely closed up. Another flash of lightening appeared outside, that this time lit up the figures face and she burst into tears when she saw Puck standing in front of her, holding onto her ankle with one hand while the other one reached out to her slightly. He looked scared, worried that he'd completely terrified her and Rachel launched herself at him, her arms grasping his middle as Puck grabbed the railing so they wouldn't fall down the stairs. Then, he wrapped his arms around her shoulders, resting his cheek on the top of her head.

"I'm sorry," he said, his soaking wet clothes seeping onto hers. "I didn't mean to scare you, I'm sorry." She sobbed into his sweatshirt, gripping his hood in her hands as he stroked her hair. "I'm sorry… Please stop crying, Rachel, I'm sorry."

She instantly calmed herself, taking in shaky breaths as she pulled away from him. "Wha-at are you doing-g here-re?" she stuttered out as she collapsed onto the stairs, her breath catching every so often.

Puck sat down next to her, pushing her hair away from her face. "We lost power at my house. Abbey wasn't home because she's sleeping over her creepy friend Kay's house and I was lonely, so I came over here, but your power went out right when I pulled into the driveway. Then you didn't open the door and you were screaming so, I just let myself in with the key." Still hiccupping, Rachel looked at him with wide eyes, silently wondering how he knew where the key was. "You used the one that was under the flower pot this afternoon."

"O-oh," she said, letting out another shuddery sigh.

"I'm sorry I scared you," he said, wrapping his soaking wet arm around her shoulders. "I didn't know you were afraid if thunder storms."

Rachel let out a choked laugh. "My-y da-ad says I have a-a pathological-l fea-fear of them-m."

Puck nodded slowly and kissed her temple, letting his lips linger there for a moment. "That's okay. Look, we'll light some candles, maybe find some flashlights, and some dry clothes for me, and now you." She smiled halfheartedly. "You'll be okay. I'm here."

With a nod, Rachel stood up slowly, using the railing to help her stand up straight before Puck took her hand and the two of them walked down stairs and started searching for things to light the house with. Rachel retreated to the kitchen while he searched the first floor for all the candles he could find, lighting them as soon as Rachel gave him the matches. As she started to set them up around the first floor, the phone rang and Rachel walked calmly to answer it, a Yankee candle that smelled like honeydew melon in her hand.

"Hello?" she said, clearing her throat.

"Rachel! Darling," her dad said, sounding slightly panicked. "You're alright."

Her forehead creased. "Yes, I'm fine."

He let out a sigh. "Well, I called a few minutes ago and you didn't answer the phone," he said breathlessly. "Well, no matter. You're fine. I was just calling to say that Daddy and I are stuck in Cincinnati. The highways are _completely_ flooded, so we're going to stay at the Larson's until they open back up, alright?"

"Oh, alright," she said, the candle flickering from her breath.

"Will you be okay by yourself?" She 'Mm-hmm'ed, watching as the flame made a pool of green wax. "Okay. See you soon. I love you."

Rachel smiled. "I love you, too. Bye, Dad. Tell Daddy I love him."

Then she hung up the phone, wandering back into the piano room. Puck was setting up small potpourri candles on the piano, each one set in a bowl from the kitchen. "Your dad?"

Rachel nodded. "Yeah. They have to stay in Cincinnati. Highways are flooded," she said and Puck just nodded before he headed to the trophy room, a candle in each hand.

Once the first floor was lit enough to see, Rachel went upstairs to change and get some clothes for Puck. When she came back down stairs five minutes later, Puck had started a fire in the fire place in the trophy room and was currently putting another log into the flames. "Here, these should fit," she said, handing the sweatpants and t-shirt to Puck.

"Oh, great. Thanks," he said, instantly pulling off his sweatshirt and t-shirt, laying them out on the ground near Rachel's trophy for prettiest ballerina so they could dry.

For a moment, Rachel stared at his extremely toned muscles, a six pack taking over his stomach in a way that she found so much more than sexy that it was almost unfair. But, then his muscles disappeared as Puck slipped the dry shirt over his head and she suddenly realized how he felt that afternoon when she had put on her coat. The smallest of small smiles formed on her lips, but when Puck started to take off his jeans, she averted her eyes and began busying herself with laying out thick blankets in between the fire place and the couch, putting lots of pillows out around her. As Rachel finished up the makeshift bed, she sat down and leaned against the pillows, stretching her legs out, warming them by the fire.

Once he was fully dressed, Puck sat down next to her, stretching his legs out as well, wrapping his arms around her. "Don't think I didn't notice what you were doing," he said quietly into her ear, kissing just under her jaw.

"What are you talking about?" she said in fake obliviousness, giving him a confused look.

"Don't even try to pretend like you weren't checking me out when I was changing." Rachel's cheeks suddenly lit up in flames and even though the only light in the room was coming from the fire, Puck could still see the dark red color they turned. "Admit it. You're just as horny as I am."

She gaped at him for a moment. "Noah! I am _not _horny." He snorted. "I'm not! I'm not anything, come to think of it."

"You're nothing?"

Rachel nodded. "Yes. I'm nothing."

"So… You're telling me that you're completely content on the fact that you haven't even gotten past second base and that you probably won't let me have sex with you unless we're married?"

Rachel whipped her head to look at him. "How did you know that I haven't gone that far?"

Puck smirked. "I didn't." With a scoff, Rachel shoved his chest roughly, but he could make out a faint smile on her lips. "Alright, alright," he said, smiling when she snuggled into him, her head on his chest. "You've convinced me. You're nothing." She just nodded once, crossing her arms over her chest as the two of them fell silent. "But, you have to admit, you were_ totally _ogling my hunkalicious abs."

"I'm not admitting anything," Rachel said stubbornly.

"I'll just take that as a yes."

Rachel rolled her eyes, but said nothing as the light from the fire flickered shadows on her face. Puck looked at her for a long time, her eyes beginning to close while he thought about just how beautiful she was. Her face was completely relaxed and even then, there was a small smile that seemed to remain permanently on her lips. Just as Rachel's head started to feel heavy on his chest, she moved to lie down on the abundance on blankets, her head resting softly on a bed pillow she'd brought from her room as she pat the spot behind her, letting him to lie down with her.

Following orders, Puck settled himself behind her, his body fit to hers as his arm was draped on her waist, hugging her to him warmly. The two of them were silent for a few minutes, only the sound of the fire crackling and popping filling the room, before Rachel spoke.

"You're wrong, you know," she said and Puck lifted his head from behind hers and looked at her.

"What?"

"You're wrong."

Puck raised once eyebrow. "About what?"

"I'm not going to wait until marriage to sleep with you, Noah." Her eyes were still closed but Puck could see a smirk on her lips and he knew there had to be a catch, so he was silent as he waited for her to continue. "I'm just not going to sleep with you anytime soon."

_There it is_, he thought, shaking his head slowly. After a moment of silence, he spoke. "That's okay, Rachel. You don't have to sleep with me anytime soon." He kissed her temple and rested his head back down on the pillow, and just before the two of them were about to fall asleep, he brought his lips to her ear and whispered, "For you, I'm willing to wait."

**Well, I'm pretty sure the pancakes are just simply SMOTHERED in raspberries if they're waiting to be served until the raspberries are good and ready, don't you think? And the syrup is getting a little bit more sugar added to her, isn't she?**

**REVIEW FOR THE LOVE OF BREAKFAST! **


	33. No One Quits The Cheerios

**Holy crap, we are moving along, aren't we? Yes, yes we are! And, oh, my God, guys…**

**You'll see. Fast pacing, fast pacing. Seriously. You're gonna be like, WHOA, what just happened.**

**Slight OOC…**

Chapter Thirty-Three: No One Quits The Cheerios

A few hours after Puck and Rachel had fallen asleep, she jolted awake when an unnaturally loud crack of thunder filled the air. For a moment, she didn't realize where she was, but when she saw the fire embers glowing warmly next to her, she remembered when Puck had come during the storm. Rachel's teeth were chattering together, the blanket and dulling embers not creating enough warmth for her. She lifted her head up and looked around, seeing a pile of wood next to the fireplace, but she didn't want to get up because Puck's body was giving off a slightly warm and comforting heat that she didn't want to leave. He was lying next to Rachel, his body still spooning hers as him arm held her tightly to him. He was snoring quietly, his features calm and relaxed, but then all of a sudden, he woke up, looking at her through heavy lids.

"You alright?" he mumbled as he sat up slowly with Rachel.

She nodded slowly, hugging her arms to her body as her teeth chattered louder. "J-j-just c-c-c-ol-l-ld."

Puck shifted onto his knees and reached over, grabbing two logs off the pile before situating them on the burning coals. He fanned the fire for a moment with some newspaper as the logs caught fire. He turned back to Rachel, who had lay back down, the blanket pulled all the way up to her chin.

"How's that?" he said, settling himself back down next to her.

She smiled through a small yawn, her face only inches from his. "Better, thank you."

"Okay," he mumbled sleepily, tilting his chin up, kissing her forehead as he pulled her close, hugging her body against his own as she buried her face in his chest, their legs tangled together. "Go back to sleep, baby," he whispered just before Rachel's eyes drifted closed and sleep took over her once again.

Puck's eyes started to slide closed as well, feeling like there were two ton weights pulling them closed, but he found that he couldn't get back to sleep. As tired as he felt and no matter how close he thought he was to actually falling asleep, he never actually fall asleep. Instead, he just lied there with Rachel's body curled up against his own and his eyes closed as he thought about what he'd sat that night, about how he was willing to wait. He'd meant it, too. Even though Puck thought that he was nearly going insane with lack of sexual activity, whenever he was with Rachel like this that seemed to be enough for him.

He looked at her, her long eyelashes twitching every few seconds. That faint smile was still on her lips and Puck watched as she moved only slightly, her hair falling in front of her face. He reached up slowly, delicately moving it away before softly running his fingers through her hair.

"Noah?" she whispered quietly, her eyes still closed as she let out a long breath.

"Yeah?"

The small smile on her lips turned into a larger on as she bit her lip. "I can't sleep while you're staring at me."

Puck laughed once before tucking his free arm under his pillow and holding Rachel tighter, finally falling asleep. The two of them were like that for a few more hours until Puck's cell phone started playing Dirty Little Secret by The All-American Rejects for the alarm he'd set earlier that night. With a groan, he reached onto the couch and turned it off before looking down at Rachel.

"Rachel…" He shook her gently, pushing hair out of her face again. "Hey, sleepyhead. You've gotta get up," he said, sitting up as her eyes fluttered open. "Good morning."

She looked at him for a moment, surprised and confused that he was there, but after a moment she sat up too, rubbing her eyes with her thumbs. "Morning," Rachel said hoarsely, making Puck laugh a few times. She smiled and cleared her throat, saying, "What time is it?" in a normal voice.

"Uh…" Puck looked at his phone. "Six thirty." Rachel nodded dumbly, zoning out at she stared at her feet. "Come on, Rachel. Stand up, walk around, wake yourself up," he said, climbing out of the bed made of blankets and holding his hand out to her.

She took it and he hauled her up onto her feet, making her shriek. "You awake now?" he said, grinning as Rachel playfully hit his chest, yawning again.

"Yeah, I'm awake, thank you," she said as the two of them walked out of the trophy room and to the kitchen.

"So," Puck said, sitting down at the kitchen table. "Make me breakfast, woman!"

~*~  
An hour later, Puck and Rachel were standing by her locker, Puck wearing his clothes from the day before. "You know, Noah, I think that we should be nicer to Quinn."

"Nicer how, Rach? I'm as nice as I can be."

Rachel rolled her eyes. "Maybe we should invite her to lunch or something and become sort of friends."

Puck shook his head rapidly. "No, no. That's a bad idea. Quinn is an ice queen and she will pummel you, seriously," he said, leaning against the locker next to hers. "Just because she told you about the baby and that you two may be around each other more because you're my girlfriend and she's carrying my spawn doesn't mean that you guys should become friends."

"Why not? She was nice to me on Monday, wasn't she?"

He nodded. "Well, yeah, she was and I'm sure she will be on the borderline of relatively pleasant around you because you're my girl and she's got my baby, but that doesn't mean you should become friends with her. I don't like the idea of you two hanging around each other…" Rachel rolled her eyes and scoffed. "Now, let's go tell her about seeing her pops at the theatre with Solar System girl."

"I don't think that we should tell Quinn about her dad," Rachel said as she pulled a binder out of her locker.

"What difference does it make? She's not living at home anymore anyway," he said, playing with the dial to her locker door.

"Well, that's true, but it's none of our-" Rachel stopped, slamming her door shut as what she was staring at came walking through the front doors to the school. "Oh, my God, look at that," she said, hitting Puck's arm.

He turned around and faced what Rachel was staring at, which was Quinn and Finn walking through the main doors. But, something was different. Instead of a Cheerios uniform, Quinn had on dark jeans and a gray sweater. Instead of a ponytail, Quinn's hair was down and a beanie was resting on the back of her head. Instead of the white sneakers they had to wear, Quinn was wearing flats. Instead of a rule of no jewelry, Quinn was wearing black diamond stud earrings and a bracelet with a star on it. And instead of the smirk on her face that usually looked like she was about to scream at someone, she had a faint smile on her lips.

"What?" Puck said, his jaw dropping slightly as Quinn smiled up at Finn, who smiled back as he carried her backpack for her.

They got closer to Puck and Rachel and right as they were passing, Quinn looked at the brunette, smiled, and said, "Hey, Rachel," before they passed.

"What?" Puck said again, as Rachel watched them with wide eyes.

From her spot down the hall, Quinn laughed once at Puck's comment before she and Finn turned the corner, stopping at Ms. Sylvester's office. "Are you sure you don't want me in there?" he said, handing Quinn her backpack.

"Yeah, I'm sure. I've been handling her for two years, I think I can deal with this," she said as she went up on her toes to kiss his cheek. "I'll see you in English, okay?"

"If you survive this, yeah." Quinn nodded her eyes playfully and Finn grinned. "Okay, I'll see you."

She smiled and once he disappeared, Quinn knocked three times on the door to Ms. Sylvester's office. "Enter," the coach said and Quinn slowly pushed the door open, seeing the woman hunched over her desk, writing vigorously in a brown leather book. She looked up and stopped, her glasses resting on her nose. "Where's your Cheerio's uniform?"

"Right here," Quinn said, unzipping her backpack and putting the skirt, top and sneakers down on the desk.

For a moment, Ms. Sylvester stared at the uniform, before putting her pen down and taking off her glasses. "Is this some kind of joke?" Quinn shook her head slowly. "Alright, sit down," she said, gesturing to at chair with her glasses. Following directions, Quinn zipped her backpack and sat down in the chair, crossing her legs at the knee. "What's going on here, Q? Why is your uniform on my desk when it should be on your spindly frame?"

"I'm quitting the Cheerios," she said simply, resting her hands on her knees.

Ms. Sylvester leaned on her elbows, giving Quinn a hard stare that definitely would have made her cry if she had just met the woman. "Why?"

Quinn sighed quickly. "Because, I don't like cheering anymore. It doesn't make me happy, like it used to."

"Well, it's not supposed to make you happy. They're supposed to make you think your legs are going to fall off while your stomach muscles burn so much that you start to cry. And even then that doesn't stop you from doing a flawless scorpion lift before doing three hundred crunches because you know that if you don't, I'll cut off your ears and give them to deaf people."

"I'm not feeling that either, Ms. Sylvester," she said, standing up and throwing her backpack over her shoulder. "So, I'm quitting the Cheerios."

"No, you're not. No one quits the Cheerios."

Quinn stopped, her hand on the doorknob, before she opened the door and turned around. "I think I just did."

Then, she walked out of the office, shutting the door calmly behind her. As she walked away, things were silent, but she before she headed down another hallway, she heard a loud scream before something heavy collided with the wall. As she turned the corner, she sucked her lips between her teeth as she tried not to smile, her eyes wide. People in the halls were staring at her with the same look Quinn had gotten when she walked into school and she looked around at all of them before they instantly went back to what they were doing.

While she was in Ms. Sylvester's office, she hadn't realized that her heart was beating at a million miles an hour and now that she was done talking to her, she leaned against the wall and closed her eyes, calming herself as much as she could. Quinn hugged her arms around her tightly, her head resting against a locker as she let out slow, deep breaths.

"Quinn? Are you alright?" someone said, and her eyes flashed open to see Rachel standing in front of her, with Puck right behind her.

Quinn stood up and pushed her hair out of her face, smiling. "Yeah, I'm fine." The two people in front of her creased their foreheads. "No, honestly, I'm fine… I just, um, quit the Cheerios."

"What?" Puck said, putting his hands on Rachel's shoulder.

Quinn narrowed her eyes at him. "Puck, you told me to quit the Cheerios."

He snorted. "Yeah, but I didn't think you'd listen."

She waved him off. "Whatever. Anyway, I'm just… I'm okay. Don't worry about it. Ms. Sylvester can just be a little aggressive. I think she threw a printer at the wall." Rachel stifled a small laugh and Quinn shrugged, rolling her eyes. "Well, it is what it is… So, I'll see you guys later, right? Maybe we could… Hang out."

Rachel smiled and nodded, biting her lip nervously. "What?" Puck looked like he was going to pass out. "Like… What!"

The blonde narrowed her eyes at him and Rachel smiled slightly. "Just ignore him, Quinn. He's being a sour puss. We will see you later."

Quinn nodded once, laughing. "Don't worry, I can ignore him with no problem." The three of them were silent for a moment. "Oh, listen, Puck… Could you drive me home? Finn has to stay after school. He's helping a freshman with the kid's World Cultures project."

"Finn is helping a freshman with said freshman's school work… Really?" he said, a smirk forming on his face. The two girls glared at him. "Noah, Finn is not stupid, you know. He's quite intelligent."

"I beg to differ."

"He's getting an 'A' in history, asshole," Quinn shot at him, planting her hands on her hips and Rachel nodded defiantly at him as if to back up what Quinn had said. "So, how 'bout that ride."

The brunette looked up at her. "He can drive you."

"What!" Puck said again and Rachel turned around, hitting him in the arm.

"Noah, shush." Quinn smirked at him. "You're driving Quinn."

Puck's eyebrows shot up. "The two of you? Together in a car? My car? I don't think so." Both girls rolled their eyes and Rachel stomped on his foot. "Sounds great. See you ladies after school," he said

in a pained voice, stiffly kissing the top of Rachel's head before walking away, limping on his right foot.

Quinn smiled at Rachel. "Okay, well, I'll see you later…"

"Yep," Rachel said brightly, tucking her hair behind her ear before the two girls flounced away from each other in opposite directions. "Alright," she said to herself as she headed to her math class. "This is a very good start."

Rachel spent the hour in math class staring at the whiteboard in a slight daze. It almost made her giddy at the fact that Quinn, after two entire years, was being nice to her again. Of course, she also found it slightly aggravating. It sometimes crossed her mind that Quinn was only doing so because Rachel was dating Puck, so Quinn felt like she had to be nice, but then Rachel just shook her head and said she was being silly. That is, until Puck came up to her at the end of the, looking determined, proud, and concerned. He had a notebook in his hand and a pen was resting behind his ear as he strode toward Rachel, standing tall in front of her as he quickly read his notebook. She was leaning against this Jeep, her feet crossed at the ankles as she waited for either Quinn or Puck to show up.

"Okay," he said as Rachel pulled some chap stick out of her backpack. "I've spent the entire day trying to figure out why Quinn was being as friendly as she was, and I came up with some possible reasons. Not once did I even break away from this project. Seriously, definitely the best work I've done since the time I tried to invent a laser gun and spent an entire week drawing up the plans. This is pure genius."

Rachel's eyebrow shot up. "And you say that I'm strange," she said, switching her legs before leaning back against the car.

"Are you going to let me speak?"

`She sighed, but nodded. "…Okay. Tell me what you've come up with."

"Alright… One: The real Quinn was abducted by aliens and they sent an alien back her in place who can change into different shapes. They are now trying to abduct you as well because they are going to put you and Quinn in a cage and let you fight to the death." Instantly, Rachel regretted letting him speak. "Two: Quinn volunteered to be a test subject in a lab and something went wrong and now she's happier than the Tellitubbies when they get their TubbiCustard… Three: The same thing happened like with Frankenstein, except this time, the Frankenstein monster actually got a brain… Four: She's actually a robot and something in her robot mind got shot to hell so she's acting nice, instead of acting like the scary Santana clone she should be. Five: She-"

"Noah, stop," Rachel said, holding her hands up. Puck looked up at her from his notebook, his eyebrows raised. "This is ridiculous. I know that it's extremely strange that Quinn is acting this way, but it's not the end of the world, right? And anyway, Quinn is a nice person. She's just been around the wrong crowd. Maybe, since she's joined glee, Quinn just had a change of heart."

"Yeah, that was my next reason. She died in the middle of the night and to save her, they had to use someone else's heart, making her nicer."

Rachel rolled her eyes. "Noah, that is completely insane."

"So is Quinn!" he said, throwing his hands up in the air. "Like, honestly, I think she's high or something." Rachel bit her lips and smiled, looking down at the ground. "Or drunk. Or both. Quinn is a Santana clone. She does not, no offence, start being nice to you by choice, Rach. I love you, don't get me wrong, seriously, but Quinn has tortured you for the past year and a half. Called you names, told you to fall in a ditch and die, told me to throw Slushees in your face, I mean… She's evil."

"I don't think that she's evil. Honestly, you're making too big a deal of this," Rachel said at the ground, kicking her foot back and forth. "I'm sure that Quinn is just trying to turn over a new leaf and make amends between us."

Puck threw his notebook up in the air and it landed behind with, the pages flipping in the wind. "That's just the thing, Ms. Berry. Quinn Fabray doesn't make amends. She just makes more leaves to turn over, but then she doesn't make amends. She's like a tree. A giant, crazy, never ending, growing insane tree woman thing and she's just so… Tree-like."

Rachel laughed, covering her mouth with her hand, laughing silently into her palm. "What? What's so funny?" Slowly, she pointed behind Puck and he turned around slowly to see Quinn standing there, her hands placed on her hips. "Oh, hi, Quinn," he said, giving her a nervous smile. "I didn't know you were standing there."

"Clearly," she said, walking to stand next to Rachel.

Puck looked at the two girls. "You couldn't have told me she was standing there, Rachel?"

She laughed again. "It's funnier this way, Noah," Rachel giggled, stepping toward them and kissing him quickly.

"She looks like she's going to kill me…"

"She's not going to kill you."

He leaned down to her and stage whispered, "How do you know?"

Rachel looked between the two of them for a moment. "Because she knows that if she killed you then she would go to jail for first degree murder and that would get her nowhere, would it?"

Puck chewed on his lip. "I think she'd do it anyway…"

"… Whatever."

**Lordy be. Review. That's an order. P.S. Quinn's outfit will be up on my site later today, around 7:30ish. Scary that I can give you a time, isn't it? **


	34. Bonfire Bonding

** ARE…. YOU… READY… FOR THE BIGGEST CHAPTER SINCE CHAPTERS WERE INVENTED! That was me being weird. Don't worry about it. :) **

Chapter Thirty-Four: Bonfire Bondage

"I am _not_ wearing that," Puck said to his little sister as he slipped a belt into the loops of his jeans.

Abbey, who had been holding a shirt up to him before, let her arms drop. "Why not? What is wrong with this shirt?"

Puck tilted his head to the side as he looked at the shirt from all angles. "It's plaid. _That's _what's wrong with it."

"And what's so wrong with plaid? Hmm?"

He shrugged. "I don't know. I just don't want to wear plaid." Abbey rolled her eyes and sat down on Puck's bed. "Sorry. I'll wear this," he said, showing her a plain white shirt.

"You can't wear that!" Puck furrowed his brow at her. "Seriously, wear this."

"I don't want to!"

"You're acting like a five year old, Puck."

"Fine!" He snatched the shirt from her put on, rolling up the sleeves as he gave her a glare. "Get out. You're supposed to be getting dressed yourself."

"Noah!" Sarah appeared in Puck's doorway, rolling the sleeves to her green button down up to her elbows. "Quinn his here."

She disappeared again just as quickly as she had appeared, tucking the shirt into her pants. Puck groaned. "Ugh, great. Abbey, go get dressed. When you're done, say 'Hello' to Quinn. And be nice."

Abbey gave him an angelic smile. "When am I ever not nice?"

He narrowed his eyes at her. "Come on, Abbey. I know neither of us have forgotten what happened at that party when she and I… Yeah."

"Oh, Jesus, Puck. You can't expect me to have not reacted that way. You guys deserved everything you got."

Puck slipped his feet into socks and shoes. "You called her a bitch and poured soda on us."

"You were on my _bed_."

"I'm serious, squirt."

"Okay, okay." She rose from the bed and crossed her arms over her chest. "I'll be nice."

He kissed her forehead as he placed his Stetson on his head and hooked a pair of aviators on the front pocket of his shirt. "Thank you. Now, get dressed."

She saluted him. "Yes, father!"

Puck playfully glared at her as he scampered down the stairs. Quinn was sitting on the couch, a brown cowboy hat on her head. She had on a denim jacket and a floral dress as well as brown boots and an assortment of gold jewelry. She was nervously fiddling with yellow aviators. When Puck landed on the floor loudly, she jumped into the air and turned to face him with a terrified look on her face.

"Jeez, you scared me!"

He shoved his hands into the pockets of his pants. "Sorry, didn't mean to." Quinn nodded and cleared her throat. "You, um, you look good."

Her hands smoothed over her dress. "I… Really? Is it, like, southern enough?" Puck nodded and Quinn smiled. "Oh, good. I wasn't sure. I mean, I didn't think I would have what I needed to, since I only got so much from my parent's house, you know?"

"Oh, uh, yeah, sure… Sorry if you think this is, like, weird." She laughed quietly. "I mean, my family is different from everyone else's. We don't do things normally…"

"Well, I got that. I mean, a barbeque for Thanksgiving on an unnaturally warm day in November? Not exactly traditional."

He nodded. _Well, this is awkward,_ Puck thought, rocking back and forth on his feet as he cracked his knuckles. "Rachel, um, Rachel should be here any minute," he said, trying to break the silence. Quinn just nodded. "How'd you get here?"

"Mrs. Hudson drove me. I didn't really want to ask Finn for a ride."

"Understandable," Abbey said from the stairs, startling both of them. "I mean, going to a barbeque at the house of the boy who got you pregnant, especially when that boy is your boyfriend's best friend, can be kind of overwhelming."

Quinn looked bewildered. "Oh, um… I, uh… Yeah, I suppose it can be."

Puck wrapped his arm around Abbey's neck and held her in an elbow lock. "I thought I told you to be nice," he hissed into her ear.

She stomped on his foot and shimmied out of his grasp as she adjusted her red rimmed cowboy hat that matched the gold and red bangles on her wrist. "I'm just being honest…"

He punched her arm. She jabbed his chest with her finger before scurrying out of the room, her cream colored dress swishing around her thighs and her boots clicking on the floor. Puck sighed and rubbed the back of his neck.

"She doesn't seem to like me very much," Quinn said, twirling her hair around on the tip of her finger.

"Naw… She's just got a big mouth and an attitude that would make even the universe seem small."

"I see… Well, Puck, I just wanted to say that-"

"Noah!" his mother called from the kitchen. "Go help your sister with the lawn furniture, please!"

"Yes, Mother," he called back, heading in the direction Abbey his disappeared in.

Quinn took off her hat and placed it on the dining room table. "I- Is there anything I can help with?"

Puck looked around and his mom stepped up next to him. "You could help me with the salad, if you wanted," she said in a light voice, her brown hair pulled into a side ponytail just below her left ear.

Quinn smiled and nodded, following the two of them into the kitchen. Puck continued onto the back porch where Abbey was struggling with a stack of plastic, white lawn chairs. Mrs. Puckerman handed Quinn and peeler and carrots, motioning for her to start peeling. She did so, watching the skin collect on the cutting board in front of her.

"So, Quinn. How's school? Puck tells me you're on honor roll."

"Yeah… It's hard work though. Most of the time, when I'm not at school or in glee practice, I'm studying and doing homework. I never get time away."

Sarah nodded. "Oh, I know how that is," she said in a reminiscent voice. "I was honor roll all four years of high school. I studied my butt off. It paid off though. I got into a good college and graduated with honors, obviously-" Quinn laughed "-But, right when I got out of school, Noah and Abbegail's father and I got married. Then I got pregnant, and, well, I had to give up my dreams for a little while."

"What were your dreams?"

"They were to be a pediatrician nurse. Of course, that's what I am now, but I didn't have to get a job anywhere in the nine months of pregnancy that I wouldn't have to quit once he was born, so I took time off, let their father work, then when I was able to get back out, I worked as a waitress anywhere I could. It was like that for a few years, but then I was pregnant with Abbegail and the divorce with Eli was brought in… Anyway, Abbegail was about one before I went out looking for nursing jobs." Quinn nodded and tossed her now chopped carrots into the bowl. "I'm sorry… I shouldn't be telling you this."

"No, it's okay," Quinn said, starting on the already peeled cucumbers. "I like hearing about people's lives. It makes me forget about my own…"

She tossed in the cucumber slices. Sarah turned and looked at her. "What do you mean, sweetie?"

Quinn froze. "I- I don't know, I mean, um…"

"Mom." They both turned to see Abbey standing in the doorway. "Puck knocked over the bird bath."

"Oh, Jesus…" Quinn rolled her eyes and Sarah wiped her hands on a dish towel. "That must be the fiftieth time that child has knocked over my bird bath."

"Boys," Quinn and Abbey said at the same time. "But, you better come deal with this, Mom."

"Right… I'll go out there." She sighed. "Quinn, could you finish this onion for me?" she said, handing the teenager the vegetable.

Quinn nodded and took it, peeling the first layer off before slicing into it. Her ryes watered, but that didn't seem like the most of her problems. Her stomach contracted into a knot and her throat burned as she bolted for the bathroom.

"Quinn, honey? Are you alri-"

Mrs. Puckerman's words faded behind Quinn as the contents of her stomach were emptied into the toilet. Her eyes watered again and her nose was running profusely as Quinn flopped down onto the ground, wiping her hand on the corners of her mouth. Her ears were ringing and her chest was tight.

Footsteps thundered on the stairs and the voices began to fade back in as Quinn heard Mrs. Puckerman saying, "I don't know. One minute she was fine, the next she was dashing up the stairs."

The footsteps stopped. "Quinn?"

She looked up and forced her blurry eyes open so she could stare at Puck, his mother and his sister as they stood in the doorway. Puck and Abbegail looked terrified. Mrs. Puckerman was beyond concerned.

"What is going on here?"

She was going to be sick again. She hung her head over the toilet bowl and just as her stomach was about to be emptied into the bowl again, Quinn heard Abbey say, "Mom, the bird bath," and the two of them disappeared. A hand was placed on her back and her hair was moved out of her face. She heaved up what was left of what she had eaten today. Puck rubbed her back.

Quinn was crying as she sat back up. "Are you okay?" She shook her head. "I'm sorry," he whispered, letting her rest her head against his chest. "If I could make it all go away, I would… I'm sorry. This is my fault."

She sat up and wiped her nose with a tissue Puck had plucked from the box on the window sill. "No, it's not your fault… Don't blame yourself."

"You sure?"

"Yeah, I'm sure. We're in this together, right?"

He nodded. "Yeah…" Quinn smiled and stood up, trying to rid herself of the redness that had started to creep into her eyes. "I'll see if I can get you a toothbrush," Puck said, giving her a hug before disappearing around the corner and shuffling around in the hall closet. "Got one."

Quinn took the toothbrush and squirted an immense amount of toothpaste on it. "Thanks."

Puck stayed with Quinn until she deemed herself presentable again and the two of them walked back down the kitchen. Sarah was pacing around, chewing on her thumbnail. When the two teenagers entered the room, she let out a sigh of relief.

"Oh, Quinn, are you okay? I was so worried and I-"

The words faded behind Puck as he headed back out to the back porch. He stepped outside and looked around, seeing Abbey lying in the center of their lawn, her arms and legs spread out like a star. "What the hell are you doing, child?"

"I am the wind, rain and snow, brother," she called to the sky. "I am one with nature, and there's nothing you can do about it."

"You are so weird." From inside, he heard the doorbell ring. "I bet that's Rachel."

Abbey shot from the ground and dashed past him. "I'll get it!" Silence for a split second. Then a squeal and some giggling. Definitely Rachel. "Hello!"

Puck shook his head and headed back inside. Rachel was already in the kitchen wearing the shortest shorts he'd ever seen, brown boots and a multi-colored blue tank top that more than accented the size of her breasts. The tan and dark brown cowboy hat on her head made an entire fantasy world start spinning in his head as she looked at him from behind her aviator sunglasses. He sincerely hoped they would get a few moments alone on this night. He wouldn't be able to keep his hands off her.

"Wow," was all he was able to say.

Quinn snorted. "Puck, close your mouth. Your drool is making a puddle on the floor."

Rachel giggled and blushed, placing the plate she was holding on the table. "Hello, everyone. You all look wonderful."

"You look good, too, Rach," Quinn said, sipping at the water Sarah had given her.

"You look _hot_," Puck said blatantly, his eyes nearly popping out of his eyes. The three women snickered. "What? She does!" he said as though he were trying to defend himself.

"Thank you," Rachel said and he pulled her in and kissed her quickly. "So!" She rubbed her hands together. "What can I help with?"

"Nothing, really. We've almost everything set up. We're just waiting for people to arrive." Rachel stepped over to Abbey and whispered something in her ear. "Wait, yes! I totally forgot that was happening!"

Puck frowned. "What was happening?"

The two of them looked at him with innocent faces and said, "Nothing," in unison.

Mrs. Puckerman was about to speak when the doorbell rang and before anyone could go answer it, what seemed like hundreds of people started filing into the kitchen, kissing the family's cheeks and leaving Rachel and Quinn to stand in the corner awkwardly. They exchanged looks momentarily, then giggled when they both looked at each other in the same way.

The twenty plus people in the kitchen fell silent at their laughter. "Who are they?" someone said, pointing at the two girls. Their cheeks felt hot.

"Well, that's Rachel," Puck said, pointing to her. "She's my girlfriend."

"And the other one?"

"Quinn… Um… Abbey's friend."

The family erupted into 'Hello's, 'Welcome's and 'Nice to meet you's as the two girls were hugged by people they had never met before, overwhelmed by what was happening. After fifteen minutes of this, everyone went out to the back yard, bringing food, chairs and their family so that the four teenagers were left in the kitchen.

"Sorry, my family's kind of intense…" Puck said, wrapping his arms around Rachel from behind. "Don't mind them, though. You'll get used to it."

Rachel nodded and wiggled away from Puck as she went back over to Abbegail and whispered in her ear again. Abbegail said something back before beaconing Quinn over and the three of them starting whispered together. Abbey said something to Quinn and the blonde looked over her shoulder at Puck, her eyes scanning him for a moment before turning back and saying something to Rachel.

"Hey, ladies, no secrets in the kitchen," Puck said, crossing his arms over his chest as he leaned against the wall. "What are you guys talking about?"

They all looked at him and said, "Nothing," in unison again, just like Rachel and Abbey had before. Puck rolled his eyes, tilting his Stetson down over his eyes as he rested his head back. Five seconds went by and things were silent, but then three more people filled the kitchen and Puck looked up. His father, step-mother and half-sister were standing there, dressed in the appropriate attire.

Abbegail squealed and hugged Rebecca, the two of them jumping up and down slightly as they giggled. Natalia, their step-mom, placed a giant white baby carrier on the kitchen table and turned away from them as Eli walked over to Puck and gave him a hug.

"Hey, Noah, haven't seen you in a while," he said, whacking his son's shoulder a few times as Puck did the same thing. "I'm sorry I missed your birthday."

"Yeah… You did." Eli looked down at the ground for a minute. "Dad, you remember Rachel, right?" Puck said, quickly changing the subject as he snagged Rachel around the waist and brought her over to him. "My girlfriend?"

Eli smiled and shook Rachel's hand. "Yes, I do remember you. Nice to see you again, Rachel."

"Nice to see you, too, Mr. Goldbloom."

"Ugh, call me Eli. I'm too young for Mr. Goldbloom. And this is my wife, Natalia, my daughter, Rebecca, and the baby boy, Isaac."

Natalia, a beautiful blonde who looked to be a little older than forty years old, turned around with a baby in her arms that was wearing a pair of baby overalls and a t-shirt that had a plaid pattern printed on to it. Rachel and Quinn nearly melted onto the floor and Natalia smiled, rocking the baby back and forth.

"Hi, I'm Natalia," she said, holding her hand out to Rachel and Quinn as she balanced Isaac in her left arm. "Nice to meet you both."

"Nice to meet you, too," they said, smiling politely at the tired looking woman.

Everything was silent for a moment, everyone looking around awkwardly before Sarah walked in, a tray under her arms. "Oh, Eli, Natalia, when did you get here?" she said, hugging the two adults.

"Just a few minutes ago," Natalia said, yawning and shifting the baby in her arms as he started to fall asleep.

Sarah nodded and put the tray down on the table. "Oh, good."

"Auntie Sarah, I like your hat," Rebecca said and Sarah laughed when she realized they were wearing the same hat, only in different shades of brown.

"Well, I quite like your hat as well, darling," Sarah said, flicking Rebecca's hat before kissing her cheek. "I missed you, honey." She looked up at Natalia and smiled. She smiled back, letting Sarah hold Isaac for a minute while she stretched her arms and legs tiredly.

Silence filled the room again. The three teenage girls looked at each other, then Abbegail looked to her father with an expectant look on her face. Eli looked back and the nodded before he turned to Puck. "Noah, I've, um, got something out in the car for you," he said, pointing over his shoulder to the driveway. "Since I missed your birthday and all."

Puck waved his hand. "Oh, come on, Dad. You didn't have to."

Eli shook his head. "Nonsense. I told you I would be there, but I wasn't. So I got you a pretty kickass present to make up for it." The girls, including Rebecca, Natalia and Sarah, giggled as Eli grinned. "Come on outside, I'll show it to you."

In single file, they all headed out of the house and to the driveway, where they gathered together and waited as Eli walked down the street to his car. Puck rocked back and forth on his feet, his hands in his pocket.

"This is ridiculous, Mom," he said to Sarah, who just swatted at his shoulder. "I said I didn't want anything and now he got me something so apparently 'kickass' that he can't get it into the house."

Rachel grabbed his hand and silenced him with a swift kiss on the lips. "Come on, Noah. Don't deny presents. It's rude."

"Yeah, well, you all know about this. It seems as though you've almost been planning it behind my back and-" Puck stopped when he looked around the driveway and noticed his Jeep was missing. "Hey, where's my car?" he said just as his father pulled into the driveway, driving a brand new, shiny black truck.

His jaw nearly dropped to the ground when his father got out, grinning like an idiot. All the girls laughed at Puck's reaction when Eli tossed the keys to him. "Happy birthday, Noah," he said, clapping him on the back.

Puck let out an astonished laugh. "Ha, you… You got me a fucking truck?" he said with so much joy that he sounded like an excited five year old at a birthday party.

"We all did," Sarah said, waving her hand to everyone who was standing there. "We all pitched in a little bit of money for it."

Puck looked around at everyone, shocked and pleased that these people, especially Quinn, gave money to buy him a new car. "Holy fucking shit!"

He did a little dance before going over to the truck and running his hand over the new, black paint. "You all knew about this?" Puck said, turning back to his family as they all nodded. "And you didn't tell me."

"Well, if we told you, Noah, it wouldn't be a surprise," Natalia said, shifting her feet in her high heels cowboy boots.

"Ha, yeah… Thank you all… So much…"

Eli placed his hands on Rachel's shoulders from his place behind her. "Thank your girlfriend, Noah," he said as he and Rachel smiled. "It was her idea."

Rachel waved her hand. "Oh, please, I was merely the encourager. Not to mention the fact I told your father countless times how your car didn't have a seatbelt on the passenger seat and the engine was terrible and there wasn't a bench seat in the back and-"

She was cut off when Puck strode over to her and grabbed her head in his hands, kissing her deeply. Everyone awed and she smiled against his lips. "You are amazing," he whispered. "Best birthday present ever, Rachel, really." He looked up, his arm around Rachel's shoulders. "Thank you everyone. This is great!"

"Good, we're glad you like it," Eli said, laughing at Puck's huge smile.

They all went in for a group hug, Puck in the center of it as his sisters clung to his waist and everyone else clinging to them.

"Now, enough of the nauseating nauseousness." They all laughed. "Let's have a barbeque."  
~*~

Rachel and Quinn sat in plastic, white chairs, looking at the bonfire that was before them as they nibbled, or devoured in Quinn's case, their food. Rachel was halfway through her veggie burger and Quinn was on her second cheeseburger, after already having one that had been piled high with cheese, lettuce, tomatoes and bacon that she had insisted Puck cook, as well as two hotdogs and some fried chicken. The two of them had both eaten some pasta and potato salad and as they were finishing up their meals, they exchanged small talk that had kept them chatting for a good two hours.

"I am so full," Quinn said, tossing her empty paper plate into a trash bag near-by, doing the same with Rachel's.

"Yeah, that was delicious," Rachel said, crossing her arms over her chest as Quinn rubbed her belly contently.

The blonde laughed. "Now, I've got a food baby and a real one," she said, giggling as she crossed her legs at the ankle. Rachel looked down at the ground, kicking at some grass. "Oh… I'm sorry. That wasn't appropriate, I'm sorry."

"No, no, it's okay…" Rachel said, crossing her legs at the knees as she kicked her foot in the air. "I'm just… It's difficult to get used to the fact that you and Noah… That's Noah's the…" She was silent. "I'm still getting used to the fact that Noah is the baby's… Father," she forced out like the word was hard to say.

Quinn looked at her for a moment. She didn't know what to say. They shifted uncomfortably in their seats, one of them clearing their throats every couple of seconds before Rebecca came up to them, her tan colored cowboy hat resting on the top of her head.

"Hi!" she said, taking a sip from her Sprite can. "Auntie Sarah told me to tell you guys that desert is out if you want any. There's brownies and cookies and chocolate pudding cake and cheesecake."

The two girls looked at each other and shrugged, easily pushing the incident out of their minds as they stood up and headed toward the desert table. They loaded up their plates and sat back down in their plastic chairs, digging into their desert.

Halfway through their food, Puck came ambling up to them, handing them both cans of root beer and napkins. "You ladies look like you could use some refreshments," he said, kissing Rachel's cheek before disappearing again.

Quinn finished her food before Rachel did and she wiped her hands, taking careful sips of her drink. "Look at the sunset," she said, pointing to the sky that was starting to turn pink and purple in a way that was so beautiful it made both of them want to cry.

"It's gorgeous…"

"Excuse me… I hate to interrupt," Natalia said, stepping into the light of the fire. "Sarah asked me to bring these over to you."

The woman handed the two teens zip-up sweatshirts that clearly belonged to Puck and the girl's smiled as they slipped them on. "You look really tired, um…"

"You can call me Natalia," she said with an exhausted smile.

"Natalia," Quinn corrected. "You look tired."

The woman smiled, pushing some of her blonde hair out of her face. "Oh, well, you know how it can be with a baby and all."

Quinn nodded. "I'm sure… If you want, I could-"

Without even letting Quinn finish her sentence, Natalia said, "Oh, that would be great, thank you," before nearly dumping Isaac into Quinn's arms. "Thank you so much. If you have any problems with him, just holler."

Quinn nodded and held the fussing baby closely to her. Natalia adjusted her pink plaid shirt before smiling again and walking away to join Sarah, Eli and the other adults by the drinks table. The teenagers sat in silence for a moment while Quinn tried to calm the baby down. He was squirming in her arms and looking like he was going to cry. Quinn's face turned slightly red.

"This is, um, this is difficult."

Rachel laughed once. "Try resting him against your shoulder. And hum. Babies love humming."

Quinn did as she was told, holding the baby softly against her shoulder as she rested her lips on his bald head, humming the tune to _Bird Without Wings _as she rocked side to side slightly. Isaac instantly calmed down and soon his eyes were drooping closed.

"I did it," she said happily, carefully stroking the blonde peach fuzz that was sprouting from the top of the baby's head. "Rachel, can I ask you something?" The brunette looked up from her chocolate cake and nodded, licking some whipped cream off her fork. "How… How do you feel about me and Puck? You know, having a baby together and all?"

Rachel sat still for a moment, biting her lip as she thought about the question Quinn had just asked. "You know something, Quinn? I don't really mind the fact that you two are having a baby," she said as she continued to eat her cake.

"You don't?"

"No… What I find more difficult to grasp is that Noah is going to be a father. And you're going to be a mother."

"Why is it so difficult for you to grasp me being pregnant?"

Rachel threw away her plate and sipped at her soda again. "Well, you're my friend, Quinn. You're in the glee club which means you're family, too. I care about my family, no matter who they are."

"Or no matter what they've done?" Quinn said. Rachel gave her a confused frown. "You know what I'm talking about, Rachel. I've been horrible to you ever since freshman year. Don't you remember back in eighth grade, we were best friends. I remember we used to bike down to the 7-Eleven and get Slushees, then we would go up to the play ground and the elementary school and sit and talk about boys."

The brunette smiled and played with the end of her braid. "Yeah, I remember."

"But, then I joined the Cheerios and you started a life all your own, being whoever you wanted to me. I became friends with Santana and Brittany. And Finn and Puck… And all those other people. Now we're here. I'm sixteen, pregnant and in big trouble. You're sixteen and strong and you can do whatever you want. You don't care what people say and-"

"Oh, I care about people say. I care like it's my life. Every time I get called a name or a Slushee gets thrown in my face, or someone tells me to kill myself when I put up a MySpace video, I care. I just keep on going because I know that lingering on what they say is just a waste of energy."

Quinn looked at the baby contently. "That's what I'm talking about. You just… Keep going. I wish I could do that."

Rachel reached over and touched Quinn's hand. "You can."

They were quiet for a moment and they looked at each other, smiling. "Rachel?"

"Yes?"

Quinn shifted Isaac and he wiggled, his eyes opening for be fell right back asleep. "What if…" Rachel let her eyebrows raise expectantly. "No… Forget it."

"What is it?" she said, letting her leg fall of her knee before turning to look at Quinn more fully.

"What if we became… Sort of… Uh…"

"Friends?" The blonde nodded and held the baby close to her. Rachel smiled. "I would like that."

Quinn sighed happily. "So… So we're friends." Rachel nodded. "Good. And I hope we can be good friends, Rachel. To make up for the shitty years I gave you."

Rachel grinned. "They weren't shitty, Quinn. They were just different from what we had before."

**Jesus, Mary and Joseph. This chapter, I believe, took me about five months to write. Holy crap. I'm so lazy. Well, I hope you liked this chapter, and the barbeque outfits will be in my site. **

** OH. Now would probably be a good time to tell you. The other website I had crapped up on me. I wouldn't let me upload any new outfits, so I had to create a new one on blogger and I uploaded all the outfits as well as a few new things like who play which people and some other stuff I never uploaded. :) So. There you go. I'll put the new link on my profile. It's pretty simple. The pages for the certain stories are on the side, and the homepage is my blog/update for the stories. AND you can now comment on the outfits, I believe. Or something. So, if you want to tell me what you think about anything I put up, then you can. Not that I'm forcing you to. Just an option. Yeah. **

** What I AM forcing you to do, however, is review to this story, because it will make my day. :) Okay, BYE! **

** I bet none of you read that whole thing. :p Haha, that's okay. REVIEW! GO TO MY WEBSITE! AH! **

** BYE! **


	35. Truths and Lies

**Well, yes, I am back, with, YES, a new chapter. Haha, I hope you all enjoy. Any and all outfits, people, information, that kind of stuff, is on my website for that kind of stuff, you can find the link on my profile! :p**

Chapter Thirty-Five: Truths and Lies

By the time the barbeque was rolling around to a close, nearly everyone had cleared out of the Puckerman residence. Quinn and Rachel had stuck next to each other nearly the entire time, and Quinn hadn't let of go Isaac for more than a minute. She was beginning to grow attached to the baby.

"Well, thank you for the wonderful time, Sarah," Eli said, hugging his ex-wife and giving her a smile. "I should probably get going." He looked around for a moment, his hands on his hips. "I just need to locate my wife and daughter."

"Abbey and Rebecca are in the book nook," Puck piped up, wrapped his hands around Rachel's waist. "Last time I checked on them, they were half asleep watching something on Abbey's laptop."

Quinn rocked side to side. "And the last time I saw Natalia, she said she was going to the guest room. She looked exhausted."

Eli let his head drop. "It's going to be hell trying to get the two of them up."

"Why don't you all just stay here tonight?" Sarah said, placing her hand sympathetically on Eli's shoulder. "You can go up with Natalia in the guest room, and Noah can bring Rebecca up to Abbey's room. They can't both sleep in the book nook. It'll be too crowded."

"That sounds like a good idea… What about the little man?" Eli said, tickling Isaac's foot.

Sarah bit her lip as she thought. "We can build him a little bed. Out of blankets and pillows or something. He's a baby. If he's tired, he'll fall asleep wherever, so, it won't really matter."

"That's wonderful parenting, Sar," Eli said jokingly, pushing her head to the side slightly. "Set up what you want, I'm going to bed."

Then, he disappeared up the stairs as Puck looked down at Rachel. "Do you guys want to stay over tonight, too? You both look exhausted and I don't want you falling asleep at the wheel…"

Rachel bit her lip. "If it's okay with your mother," she said, looking to Sarah, who was setting up Isaac's blanket bed.

"Of course! That's no problem."

"Where would we sleep?" Quinn said, setting the baby down in his bed and tucking him in snuggly.

Puck thought for a moment. "Well, _you _can sleep on the floor in the kitchen or something. And Rachel can up to my room and sleep with me," he said with a devilish grin that made Rachel shiver and smile.

"Oh, no, I don't think so. I'll set up the pull out couch for you girls, if you don't mind sleeping in the same bed."

The two of them looked at each other for a moment, seeming to have a silent conversation, then nodded at the same time to Sarah. Puck's mother smiled, then set off to set up the pull out mattress in the TV room, calling, "You can help yourselves to Abbegail's pajamas, girls," over her shoulder. "Noah, bring Rebecca up stairs to your sister's room, would you?"

Puck saluted his mother as Rachel and Quinn dashed up the stairs to change before Puck would have a chance to get up stairs. He went to the book nook, opening the door quietly and lightly shaking Rebecca until she was awake enough to climb onto his back. Puck turned off the light to the book nook, shut the door again, then headed up stairs, reaching Abbey's room just as Quinn and Rachel were finishing up changing. He slowly lowered her onto the bed and pulled back the covers.

"Can you hand be some pajamas," Puck said, holding his hand out to the air as he waited for clothes to be placed in it as he one handedly took off Rebecca's shoes.

Quinn handed him a pair of Abbey's ballet academy sweatpants and Puck helped the nearly passed out Rebecca change before pulling the covers up to her chin and kissing her forehead. As he did this, Rachel and Quinn watched, small smiled on their faces. Quinn blinked once slowly, already imagining the future.

Soon, the three of them filed out of the bedroom and Puck shut the light and door behind them. "Well, this night has been fun," Quinn said, rocking back and forth on her feet, her hands gathered behind her back.

Rachel nodded. "Yeah, it really has been wonderful, and-"

"Bed's all set up for you girls," Sarah said, appearing at the top of the stairs. "Good night, Rachel. And, you, too, Quinn. It was lovely having you two here to celebrate with us." She hugged the two teenagers before looking at her son. "Noah, go to bed."

Then, the door to her bedroom shut and Puck, Rachel, and Quinn looked at each other. "Well, ladies, this is where I bid you good night. Adieu."

He disappeared as well, leaving Rachel and Quinn standing in the hallway. "Shall we?" Rachel said, heading down the stairs to the TV room, where she crawled into the pull out couch's mattress.

Quinn did the same, lying on her side and the two of them looked at each other for a long time, just staring like there was something written on each other's foreheads that they couldn't read. But, after a while, Quinn's eyes started to droop closed. Rachel stayed awake. She looked up at the dark ceiling, watching a car head light move across the plaster every once and a while, the lace pattern from the main window making a shadow on the wall.

When Quinn shifted and turned onto her other side, Rachel carefully sat up and wiggled her way out of the bed. She crept up the stairs, skipping the squeaky one at the top. A blue light was coming from underneath Puck's door. Rachel tiptoed over and knocked almost silently once before entering. Puck was lying in his bed, propped up on pillows as he watched TV in silence. The light from the screen was reflected on his glasses and Rachel walked to the side of his bed with a smile on her face.

"Can't sleep?" he said without even looking at her. Rachel nodded. "Come here. Lie down with me."

Rachel obeyed with no argument whatsoever. Puck turned off the episode of Man vs. Wild he was watching and the room filled with darkness. She pressed her back to his bare chest until she could feel the warmth of his skin through her clothes. His arm draped over her hip lightly and Rachel smiled contently.

"Still not going to sleep with me?" he whispered in her ear with a grin on his lips that Rachel could practically hear.

"No, I'm not. It's unorthodox for me to even be in the same bed with you if we're not married. Be happy with what you have, Noah."

He laughed once, pressing his lips to the back of her neck. "Yeah, I guess I can deal with snuggling for a little while longer."

Rachel nodded and Puck closed his eyes, pulling her even closer to him. Her hand moved from its spot tucked under on of Puck's pillows to rest on top of his.

"Noah?"

"Mm?" he said, sleep taking over him.

She took a deep breath. "I just… I wanted to tell you that I think you're going to be a good father." Puck's eyes snapped open. He didn't move at all, but he definitely was awake now. "Just looking at how you were with Rebecca tonight and how I see you with Abbey almost every day, I can tell that you're going to treat that little baby girl of yours like she's a princess."

Puck was silent. He bit his lip and kept himself as quiet as possible. This was not something he didn't want to discuss at the moment.

"Noah? Did you hear me?"

He didn't respond. He just closed his eyes and allowed his breathing to slow down, like he was falling asleep. After a few minutes, Rachel figured he had fallen asleep, she closed her eyes and promptly did the same.

When Puck knew that she was _actually _asleep, he opened his eyes and let out a frustrated sigh. He didn't want to talk to Rachel about the baby. He wished she didn't know. Of course, he wished a lot of things. He wished that his iPod would start working again, he wished that Abbey's leukemia would go away, he wished that he had never slept with Quinn, but most of all, he wished that Quinn had never told Rachel about the baby.

What he did wish, though, was that he could close his eyes and fall into a sleep forever where he could dream about just him, just Rachel, and just happiness, with nothing else at all.  
~*~

When Quinn's eyes fluttered open the next morning, she didn't remember where she was. The walls were green and white, much different from the comforting blue walls of her room at Finn's house, but when she saw a picture of Puck and abbey hanging on the wall, she remembered the barbeque from the night before; the food, the talk with Rachel, and baby Isaac.

Quinn rolled over onto her side, expecting to see Rachel lying there, but the brunette was gone. She figured that Rachel had made her way up to Puck's room during the night, so she just let it go. Quinn looked up at the scalloped ceiling, her arms spread out so she was like a human star. The blankets were warm around her legs. She almost didn't want to get up ever again. Lying there, alone in a place where she didn't have to worry about lies, or keeping secrets, or being someone she wasn't, it made her happier than she'd been in a long time.

The teenager was broken away from her peaceful world when a cry filled the air. At first, Quinn didn't know where it was coming from, but she pushed the covers back and nearly leapt from the bed hen she remembered Isaac. She dashed into the living room. The baby was settled in a nest of pillows and blankets that Sarah had put together as a substitute for their lack of a crib and he was screaming, his little arms and legs flailing in the air. His face was flushing a bright pink color that Quinn was sure it shouldn't be turning.

"Oh, poor, baby," she whispered, scooting her arm under the infant's body and supporting his head as carefully lifted him off the ground to rest him against her chest. No one else was awake yet. "Shh, baby, it's okay."

Isaac continued to cry. Quinn panicked slightly. She remembered what Rachel had said to her the night before, but she had a feeling that wouldn't work in this case. He was probably hungry but Quinn didn't know where the formula was. She went to the fridge, praying to God if was in there. Sure enough, there were a few bottles filled with the cream-colored formula. Quinn took one out and even with her very little babysitting, she knew that putting it in the microwave was not the way to go. She flicked the handle to the sink faucet up.

As she waited for the water to warm up, Quinn swayed from side to side in an attempt to calm Isaac down. His little fists and feet kicked at her. She didn't want to wake everyone up, but she didn't know how to stop him.

In a desperate attempt to quiet him, Quinn started to sing.

_Like a bird without wings  
__That longs to be flying,  
Like a motherless child  
Left lonely and crying_

_Like a song without words,  
Like a world without music,  
I wouldn't know what to do  
I'd be lost without you  
Watchin' over me.  
_

Quinn placed the bottle under the flow of the water, still swaying back and forth as best she could. Isaac's kicking had ceased slightly and his crying quieted.

_I get so lonely  
__When you're away  
I count every moment  
__I wait every day_

_Until you're home again  
And hug me so tight  
That's when I know  
Everything is alright.  
_

The bottle was warm at this point, so Quinn travel back into the TV room, crawling into bed before adjusting the baby and placing the bottle in his mouth.

_Like a bird without wings  
That longs to be flying,  
Like a motherless child  
Left lonely and crying _

_Like a song without words  
Like a world without music,  
I wouldn't know what to do  
I'd be lost without you  
Watchin' over me_

Quinn looked down at the baby, who had his big, green eyes looking around the room in curiosity and she smiled. It was hard for her to imagine doing this with her own baby, feeding her, singing to her, loving her. But, she couldn't say that she absolutely couldn't wait to be able to do these things. She already wanted that baby so badly.

_You're my guardian angel  
My light and my guide  
Your hand on my shoulder  
And you by my side_

_You make everything beautiful,  
You make me complete.  
Everything in my world  
I lay at your feet _

Isaac's eyes started to slide closed and Quinn could hear a door open, then footsteps that were leading to the TV room. She cringed inwardly, knowing she woke someone up, but Isaac was just drifting off to sleep, so she sang on.

_Like a church with no steeple,  
Where a bell never rings  
In a town without people,  
Where no voice in the choir ever sings_

_If a boat on the ocean  
Would be lost with no sail,  
Then without your devotion  
Surely all that I dreamed of would fail_

Quinn didn't need to look up to know that Abbey was standing there, leaning against the wall as she stared at her, her arms crossed over her chest.

_Like a song without words  
Like a world without music,  
I wouldn't know what to do  
I'd be lost without you  
Watchin' over me_

_I wouldn't know what to do_  
_I'd be lost without you_  
_Watchin' over me_

When Quinn's song ended, a silent clap flitted throughout the room and the blonde finally looked up at Puck's little sister.

"That was really good."

Quinn was silent. She didn't know what to do. In the past, Abbey hed been rude to her, but in ways Quinn knew she deserved. She bit her lip in a terrified way when Abbey walked over to the pull out couch and settled herself on the end, directly across from Quinn.

"You've got a really nice voice."

"Thank you," she mumbled out, cradling the baby in her arms as if he were able to protect her.

Abbey smiled "You're welcome." She ran her hand through her air before reaching out to Quinn. "Here, let me see him."

Quinn shifted the baby so she could hand him to Abbey, who settled him in her lap. She looked down at Isaac, cooing and tickling his stomach lightly. Her hair fell over her shoulder. Quinn couldn't help but stare at it. Abbey's hair was a medium brown color that cascaded down over her shoulders. It curled lightly at the ends, like someone had curled only the tips of her hair even though it was natural.

"How do you get your hair like that?" Quinn asked, twirling her fingers around her own hair.

Abbey looked up, taken slightly by surprise. "My hair?" Quinn nodded. "I use Pantene conditioner for medium/thick hair."

Quinn frowned. "Really? That's it?"

"Basically. Sometimes, I use Garnier sleek and shine, but other than that, nothing." The blonde nodded, pushing her hair out of her face. "Sometimes, I don't think it's worth having and I just want to cut it all off."

"Why is that?"

She shrugged. "Because… Sooner or later, the chemo therapy is going to make it all fall out, so I think to myself, what's the point?'

Quinn thought about this for a moment. "Well, I guess that's true, but the point is that at least you can have gorgeous hair for a period of time, even if it's only a certain amount of years, right?"

"Yeah, I suppose…"

"And, that way, you can brag to all the other people that once, you had the best hair in the world, instead of people like me, where our hair is wiry and bland."

Abbey laughed at Quinn's jibe at herself and twirled her hair around on her finger. "That's very true." Quinn gave her a small mile. "You know, I think you're the only person who would say that to me. I know that Puck or my mom or my dad or Natalia would say, "That is not the way you should be thinking, Abbegail, you're beautiful,' and be done with it. You actually had a civil answer. I appreciate it."

"You're welcome."

"I like that about you, she said honestly, picking up Isaac when he started to squirm. They were silent for a long time. "My mom is worried about you, you know. She's going to start fussing over you unless you tell her what's up." Quinn frowned. "You're pregnant."

"… Right… That," she said in a slightly pained voice, like it was something she never wanted to think about. Quinn nodded her head once, then but her lip, then closed her eyes and placed her head in her hands. "I don't know what to do… We don't know what's going to happen… What if your mother is furious? She could be outraged and would hate me forever. Or what if it's such a shock to her and she's so surprised that she _dies _or something! Maybe she'll be happy about it, but honestly, what parent is happy that their child is becoming a parent at seventeen, like Puck is? Oh, God, she's going to hate me…"

"Whoa, hold on…" Abbey said, holding her hand up to silence the rambling teenager. "She's not going to die. She probably won't even be mad. Mom is around pregnant people all the time."

"I thought she was a pediatrician."

"She is. But, you know, hospital."

Quinn but her lip. "Yeah, but that's people she doesn't really know, isn't it? It's different because this is her son. I chose her son to be the father when I could have just let it with Finn… I don't know. Sometimes, I think it would have just been easier if I'd picked Finn. Puck wouldn't be stuck with a baby, I wouldn't have to lie to Finn as much, Rachel wouldn't be put on the spot as a girlfriend who's boyfriend is having a baby with someone who isn't her, I-"

Abbey played with Isaac's hand while his big eyes slowly looked around the room again. "Well, yeah, it would have been easier. You'd have a baby without her real dad and a man who takes care of the baby that he doesn't know isn't his." Quinn looked down shamefully at her fidgeting hands. "I know that this way is the hard way, but that doesn't mean it's the wrong way. Personally, I know that I would go down the easy route, but I think you're so brave for doing what you are."

"How old are you?"

"Thirteen."

Quinn laughed once. "Heh, I wish I was that insightful when I was that age. Maybe I wouldn't be in this position if I were."

Abbey shrugged. "I wasn't always this insightful. Knowing that, one day, I'm going to die way before it's my time makes you think a little bit more that you usually would." Quinn nodded as if it were a reasonable statement. "So, when are you going to tell my mom?"

"When she wakes up, I suppose. The sooner, the better."

There were footsteps on the stairs. "Good morning, ladies," Mrs. Puckerman said, appearing in the TV room with her hair in slight disarray. "I hope you both slept well."

Quinn nodded. Abbey snorted. "Well, we know what Puck and Rachel slept well."

"Oh, yes, I saw that Rachel had ventured up to Noah's room. But, as long as they're fully clothes, then I really see no problem." Quinn's eyebrows rose in surprise. "Quinn, honey, I hope you're feeling better form yesterday. Do you need anything?"

Abbey looked at Quinn with a look on her face that said, 'I told you so,' and the blonde cringed.

"Actually," she said, sucking in a breath. "That is something I want to talk to you about." Sarah frowned slightly and allowed Quinn to continue. "It's kind of a long story. Why don't you sit down? It's gonna take a while to explain…"  
~*~

"And, I just thought, since the baby is Puck's, that I should tell you, because you deserve to know."

Quinn took a deep breath and slumped in her seat when she finished. She had been spewing out words non-stop for twenty minutes and she was out of breath. Mrs. Puckerman was looking at her with an expression that was mixed with just about every degree of emotion one could possibly think of. She looked like she was going to burst.

Abbey, who had been sitting next to Quinn as reassurance, said, "Mom? Are you okay?"

Sarah let out a long, slow, breath. "I'm a little bit at a loss for words. I- This is a really big moment."

"Please, don't me mad," Quinn whispered, her hands traveling to her belly.

"I'm not mad, Quinn. I'm… surprised… Worried… Happy… Surprised… I-" She stopped for a split second. "This is real, right? You're not playing some sort of joke on me, are you?"

Quinn frowned. "No! Of course not. Here." She reached over and grabbed her jacket, pulling out an ultrasound picture. "That's her," she said, pointing to the bean shaped blotch on the paper.

The teenager handed Sarah the photo and she gasped, her fingers slitting to her chest. "Oh, my goodness, Quinn…" Puck's mother stared with teary eyes at the photo. "Wow…" she breathed out.

"So, you're not mad?" Abbey said when Quinn grabbed the thirteen-year-olds hand.

Sarah tried to stop the tears that were coming to her eyes. "I'm not mad, no… I would more than love to have a grand-daughter, even if I am only forty three. I'm just worried. For Noah, and for you, Quinn. This is something that will change your life forever, you do know that, don't you?"

"Yes, God, I know that more than anybody," Quinn said through uncontrollable sobs that had suddenly burst from her.

"Oh, honey."

Sarah moved from her spot on the pull out couch to envelope Quinn in a hug that only made her cry more. The teenager cried into Sarah's shoulder, holding her tightly as tears poured from her eyes. Quinn was scared. She knew she was, but mostly, she was crying because it was such a relief to her that Mrs. Puckerman was being so understanding.

"Now, you listen to me, Quinn." The two of them pulled away to look each other in the eye. "If you need anything, this entire family is here for you. You call _any _of us if you need anything at all, alright?"

Just as Quinn started to nod, there were footsteps on the stairs again. Puck appeared in sweatpants and his glasses.

"Good morning, everyone…" He noticed his mother and Quinn, who were now both crying on the couch. "What's going on here? Mom, Quinn, are you guys okay?"

Sarah nearly shot from the couch, throwing her arms around her son. "Noah," she whispered, sounding like she was going to stay something else, but she didn't.

"What's wrong?" He could the shakes her body made from crying. Puck managed to take the picture from her and nearly jumped away from her when he saw his bean-shaped baby. "Oh, dear lord. You… You told her."

Quinn nodded. "I had to, Puck. She was going to find out anyway, and as your mother, she deserved to know."

"Oh, deserved to know, huh?" Quinn nodded. "So, when are you going to tell Finn? Don't you think he deserved to know?"

"What?" Quinn and Sarah said at the same time, looking at Puck with confused expressions.

"Finn thinks the baby's his," he said, addressing his mother even though he didn't take his eyes off Quinn. "He was stupid enough to believe Quinn's whopper of a lie about how she got pregnant when Finn couldn't keep it together and let it out in the hot tub."

Sarah's jaw dropped slightly. "Oh, my…"

"I'll tell Finn when I'm ready to tell him."

"You don't think I was waiting to do that with my mom? What makes you think you can just tell her? How do you know _I _didn't want to do it?" Puck's voice was growing more and more harsh with each and every word. "I think it would make a little more sense if I told her, don't you think? And not to mention you just told her without me there! I could just tell Finn if I felt like it, you know."

"That's not fair," Quinn said, fiddling with the bed sheet she had hid herself in.

Puck rolled his eyes. "And it was fair for you to just randomly tell my mother?"

"I'm not ready to tell Finn, Puck." He scoffed and crossed his arms over his chest. The ultrasound picture fell to the floor. "I'm waiting for the right time to tell him."

In a snide and condescending voice, Puck leered, "Well, just make sure that the right time to tell him isn't _after_ the baby's born."

Things fell silent and everyone looked at Puck. His mother and sister looked shocked. Quinn looked a great deal more than hurt. Puck's eyes stayed hard and cold.

"Well…" Quinn said quietly, pushing the covers away from her, "I think I should probably get going."

Quinn started gathering her clothes from the night before, retreating to the bathroom to change hastily. She came back in one minute, fully dressed, putting on her hat and jewelry. She grabbed her jacket and sunglasses.

"Thank you for inviting me," she rushed out, quickly hugging Sarah, who was still in shock from her son's words. "It was nice to see you again Abbey. Tell you family it was lovely meeting them and let Rachel know I'll call her later." Quinn stooped down to snatch up the ultrasound picture. "Um…" Her eyes met Puck's and she shoved the photo into his hand. "You can have this. Remember that you still have a baby, no matter what anyone does. …Bye…"

Quinn dashed from the house and down the street towards Finn's house. It took her a minute to realize that thought that whole exchange, she had been crying.

Back at the Puckerman house, Sarah just touched Puck's cheek before walking away. She didn't know what else she could do really, aside form leave him alone. Abbey, as she gathered up Isaac in a soft blanket, shook her head as if she were disappointed.

"What?" Puck said as if he didn't do something wrong. Abbey kept shaking her head. "_What, _Abbegail?"

She walked up to him and nearly dumped the baby into his arms. "Here." Abbey's voice was dead as Puck struggled with Isaac. "_You _take care of the baby. You're gonna need practice." Her voice was as condescending as Puck's had been to Quinn.

Then, she nearly stormed away. "Hey, Abbey, don't be like that, I-"

"No, you don't be like that, Puck! Think about how Quinn felt," she called before shutting the door to the book nook.

Puck frowned and looked down at the baby, who was sleeping soundly in his arms. He'd held babied before, but for some reason, not it felt different. Thanks to what Abbey said, everything was different.

Isaac's head fell to the side, resting on Puck's chest. "Okay, little man. Let's make some breakfast for Rachel. Right now, she's the only one not upset with me." Puck started toward the kitchen "Let's hope it stays that way."

**REVIEW! I hope you guys liked his chapter. You seemed to disappear on me the last time I updated. Almost no one reviewed! Where did you guys go? Review, please, show me some love! :) **


	36. Skin

**Well, well! :) We are moving along, aren't we? Kind of. Not sure, actually… Okay, moving along. **

**Also, this chapter goes out to SuzQQ, who inspired Puck's words with Quinn! Thank you for the help! :) **

Chapter Thirty-Six: Skin

"This isn't working," Abbegail said, flopping down onto the hardwood floor of the Puckerman's basement ballet studio.

Rachel sat down on the bench to the piano and took a sip of water, her breathing heavy and tired. "Well, I think that the dance is beautiful and the song is perfect."

"But, it isn't working!" Abbey let her legs fall until she was splayed out on the ground like a star. "I'm just not feeling it."

"Maybe we need to take a break."

Abbey stood up and dusted herself off. "No, no, we can try this again. Just one more time. I'll get it, I promise."

Rachel started the music again for the one hundredth time that hour and Abbey took her position in the middle of the dance floor. As the other girl started to sing, Abbey swept her feet and moved her arms to the beat of the music, doing each dance step as perfectly and as carefully as she had selected them. Rachel wasn't even at the chorus of the song yet before Abbey stopped mid-pirouette and stormed across the floor to turn off the music.

She turned around, her hands balled into fists by her sides and let out an extremely frustrated yell, throwing an empty water bottle across the room at a mirror opposite her. "God damn it all to hell! I give up! I'm not doing it anymore!" she shouted, kicking random pieces of furniture that lay about the room.

Rachel ran a hand through her hair. "You shouldn't just give up, Abbey. This is something that you want to do, you should try as hard as you can, don't you think?"

"Yeah, but I- I'm just, like-" She let out a small whine before letting herself fall into a purple beanbag chair. "It's not working."

The door to the basement opened. "Ladies?" Puck called down the stairs. "Lunch is ready."

"Perfect timing," Rachel said to him as she climbed the stairs. "I think Abbey is about to break down. She says it's not working."

The three of them sat down at the kitchen table, digging into the grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup Puck had prepared. They were quiet for a little while and one could nearly hear the anger in Abbegail's chewing.

"What's wrong, Abbs?" Puck said, taking a sip of water.

The thirteen-year-old sighed and stirred her soup. "It's the dance. It doesn't feel like it's working for me, I don't know." Puck raised his eyebrows. "Rachel is singing the song perfectly and I have the dance steps memorized and they are all done to a 'T', but, it just doesn't feel like… Me. If that makes sense. It's not right."

"What isn't right exactly, Abbey?" Rachel said, dipping a corner to her grilled cheese into the soup before taking a bite.

"Everything about it… Sort of." The two of them looked at her. "Well, not everything. Your singing is perfect, the choreographing is perfect, the dancing is perfect, everything is _perfect_, except for me."

Puck arched one eyebrow at her. "What about you?"

"It doesn't feel like something I should be dancing for my solo for my last performance at Kristen Ballet Academy and for _their _last performance until next year… Nothing feels right. This is something on my list, but to me, it feels like the only thing that's not going to happen because I can't get it right."

Puck thought for a long time. He knew that this dance meant a lot to his sister. She had never spent so much time working on choreographing a dance as she had with this. She hadn't been so into anything in her life before as she was with this and he knew that this entire thing, the song, the dance, the everything, would mean more than the world to her if she could just get it right.

"I think you just need to find something that works with you," he said suddenly, looking thoughtfully at his sister. "Maybe you like the song and maybe you like the dance you put together, but is it really something that's coming out of you?" Puck asked as his little sister kicked her feet back and forth. "Dance is an art, right? And art is supposed to be about feeling and emotion that comes from the depths of your soul or some shit like that. Does this song represent everything you want with life? Does the dance come from your heart or are you just trying to make yourself look like the experienced dancer you are? Because if it's not, then you need to do something about it. You need to find something that comes completely from you."

Abbey looked at him in terror. "You mean… Find a _new _song and choreograph an entirely _new _dance and have everything done and _new _by tonight? Because, you do know that the performance is tonight, right?"

Puck nodded. "Yeah, I know. You've been practicing with Rachel for, like, two straight days."

Abbegail looked at him. "So, do you realize how much work I would have to do to be able to start again from scratch and have it be perfect in less than ten hours?"

"There's your problem. You're trying to make it perfect, Abbegail. Don't make it that way. Make it from you."

Abbey thought about that for a while. She knew her brother was right and she knew what she had to do, she just didn't believe she could do it. Abbey had put aside an entire week of her life to choreograph the dance she had worked hard to memorize. She did want the performance to be perfect, but she also wanted it to be from her, and not perfection.

"Okay," she said after a while. "I'll do it. I'll start from scratch and do it all over again."

Rachel and Puck smiled. "Good," he said, leaning back in his chair.

"I've even got a song already. I'm going to need some help, though." Rachel nodded and was about to get up to help her, but Abbegail shook her head. "Not you. Yet." The brunette laughed as her friend stood up from the table. "I need to call Jeremy."

Puck frowned. "What has Johnny got to do with this? He doesn't dance… Does he?"

"No, he doesn't, but he can help."

"How?"

Abbey stood up from the table and picked up her phone, dialing her boyfriends number. "You'll see. If you come to the show tonight, you'll see."  
~*~

"I'm nervous…"

"You'll be fine," Jeremy and Rachel said at the same time, looking at the ballerina.

She was dressed in a white leotard, white tights, a red ballet skirt wrap and red Pointe shoes. Her hair was done in a low bun that Rachel had done and it had a white flower pinned on the side. Her eyes were lined with thick make-up and her lips were so red they matched her ballet shoes.

"I don't know about this. Maybe it was a bad idea to start over."

Jeremy, who was wearing black pants, black dress shoes and a white button down, put his hands on her arms and rubbed them a few times. "It wasn't. It was a good idea." Abbey closed her eyes. "Just take a few deep breaths and relax. You're going to be amazing."

Rachel smoothed her hands over her blue dress a few times. "I have faith in you, Abbey. I've seen what you can do, and I know you're going to be brilliant."

"And, now, for our final performance, we would like to welcome Rachel Berry onto the stage. She will be singing live for our last performance."

People clapped as Rachel walked on, her red high heels clicking on the dance floor as she made her way to the microphone set up near the stairs that led onto the stage.

"And last, but most certainly not least, here is Abbegail Puckerman, our most talented dancer, to do her very own, self-choreographed dance, her _last_ dance here at Kristen Ballet Academy."

The people in the audience started to clap and Abbey could hear Puck whistling loudly and cheering with the rest of his family. She felt a small smile form on her face before she took a deep breath, turned around, and waited for the music to start.

_Sara Beth is scared to death_  
_To hear what the doctor will say_  
_She hasn't been well, since the day that she fell_  
_And the bruise it just won't go away_

_So she sits and she waits with her mother and dad_  
_And flips through an old magazine_  
_Till the nurse with the smile stands at the door_  
_And says, will you please come with me?_

Abbey took deep breaths as she spun across the stage, closing her eyes and letting the music wash over her. She didn't open her eyes because she didn't want to see the stage, or where she was going. She didn't need to see.

_Sara Beth is scared to death_  
_Cause the doctor just told her the news_  
_Between the red cells and white, something's not right_  
_But we're gonna take care of you_

_Six chances in ten, it won't come back again_  
_With the therapy we're gonna try_  
_It's just been approved, it's the strongest there is_  
_And I think we caught it in time_  
_And Sara Beth closes her eyes_

She rolled her body back and for a split second, she opened her eyes to look up at the ceiling. Even the people in the catwalk above her were watching the show. She felt tears spring to her eyes.

_Sara Beth is scared to death_  
_As she sits holding her mom_  
_Cause it would be a mistake for someone to take_  
_A girl with no hair to the prom_

_For just this morning, right there on her pillow_  
_Was the cruelest of any surprise_  
_And she cried when she gathered it all in her hands_  
_The proof that she couldn't deny_  
_And Sara Beth closes her eyes_

Abbey spun and leapt across the stage, hearing cheers from the audience that made more tears spring to her eyes. She kept them closed. It was at this moment that she really knew that Puck was talking about when he said to find a song from the depths of your sole. A song and a dance that could make you cry while you were performing, something that meant more to you than just perfection.

_And she dreams she's dancing_  
_Around and around without any cares_  
_And her very first love was holding her close_  
_And a soft wind is blowing her hair_

_It's quarter to seven, that boy's at the door_  
_And her daddy ushers him in_  
_And when he takes off his cap_  
_They all start to cry_  
_Cause this morning where his hair had been_  
_Softly she touches just skin_

After a round of nine pirouettes, Abbey ran across the stage gracefully to the curtain, where Jeremy was waiting. She held her hand out to him and brought him onto the stage, where the two of them began waltzing. He spun her out and when he spun her back in, she wrapped her arms around him. She could feel Jeremy smile into her neck.

_And they go dancing_  
_Around and around without any cares_  
_And her very first true love is holding her close_  
_And for a moment she isn't scared_

He spun her out two more times and when she was brought in the last time, she stood up on her pointe shoes and pressed her lips to his quickly, but deeply. Rachel vocalized softly as the two younger teenagers bowed and scurried off stage, their arms wrapped around each other. The audience erupted into cheers that made the tears from Abbey's eyes finally fall. Rachel got a round of applause as well before exiting the way Abbey and Jeremy had. When she did, she threw her arms around the two of them in a mini-group hug.

"Abbey, that was absolutely astounding," she said, kissing Abbegail's temple quickly.

Suddenly, the announcer and runner of the ballet academy, Mrs. Barker, walked out onto the stage and took the microphone. When she spoke, you could tell she had been crying. "Well, I think we can all say that that was an absolutely wonderful performance." The crowd cheered again. "Let's have Abbegail come on out here for another applause!"

Slowly, Abbey walked out onto the stage, holding her hands delicately behind her as she walked to the elderly woman. Mrs. Barker hugged her and smiled, handing Abbey a giant bouquet of red and white roses. When the teenager had control of them, she handed her the microphone as well.

Abbey held it for a moment, then cleared her throat. "Ahem…" People in the crowd quieted. "Wow… This is- This is beyond amazing. I never thought that this moment would be so life changing for me. It means so much that you all could be here to watch me in my last performance, especially since I won't be coming back next year. My leukemia is, um, finally taking control, so that means no more dancing, but it's been an amazing experience while it lasted. I've learned so much about life, I've made so many friends, and-" Her voice choked. "-and it makes me feel like the cancer has gone away to know that I was able to be a apart of Kristen Ballet Academy history."

She looked into the audience and saw Puck. She could have sworn he was crying. "I love every single one of the girls here, and they are just as much a family to me as my big brother is, who I love every much." She saw him smile. "But, um, I'd just like to say, thank you. Thanks to Rachel and Jeremy for making this performance possible, thanks to Mrs. Barker for teaching me dance ever since I was out of diapers, and thanks to you all for believing in me, and for keeping me this strong for as long as you did."

The audience started cheering again. Abbey couldn't help the tears that were rolling down her cheeks and she handed the microphone back to Mrs. Barker. They hugged again and then Abbey was allowed to leave the stage, smiling through the tears she was crying.

Jeremy was gone, but Rachel handed her a tissue and cupped Abbey's jaw in her hands. "You're beautiful, you're strong, and you've got so many people who believe in you." She hugged Abbey tightly. "I love you."  
~*~

After the recital had ended, Puck was standing outside the auditorium in the lobby, holding his coat, Abbey's coat and Rachel's in either hand as he waited for his sister and girlfriend to come meet him. Two bouquets of flowers was on the floor beside him, put together especially for Abbey and Rachel. He'd gotten Rachel plain white roses, but in the middle of each flower, Puck had placed a gold star pin. Abbegail's were roses that had, somehow, been set to bloom in multicolor, the most Abbegail-esque bouquet of flowers he could find. He was rocking back and forth on the balls of his feet, whistling the tune to the song Abbey had danced to.

He had almost started dancing—he was so bored of waiting—when Abbey came hurdling out from the dressing room, red Converse on her feet in place of her pointe shoes, still dressed in the rest of her ballet get up from the performance. She practically threw herself onto him and he caught her in a hug after she had dropped her bouquet from Mrs. Barker on the floor gently.

"Hey, beautiful!" he said, spinning her around a few times as they laughed. "That was amazing! You did so well, Abbegail!"

She giggled as he set her down on the floor. "I know! I mean, thank you!" she squealed, hugging him again. "It felt so amazing. I loved it. You were right! It was unbelievable!"

"I knew you could to it!" he said, spinning her around again, his hands gripping her rid cage. "Fucking blew my mind!" He set her down on the floor and helped her into her coat before bending down and picking up both Mrs. Barker's bouquet and the one he had gotten her. "Here you go," he said, handing her one, "and, these…" He produced the flowers to her. "…Are for you, Abbey!"

Abbey laughed, clapping her hands together and taking the multicolored flowers into her arms just as Rachel came walking out from back stage as well, adjusting her headband and jewelry. She was smiling widely when she reached Puck and he wrapped his arms around her, lifted her off the ground and kissed her deeply.

"You sounded great, Rach," he said, kissing her again, more passionately this time.

"Ew!" Abbegail said, slapping her hand over her eyes. "Don't do that while I'm around. It's gross."

Puck and Rachel smirked at each other then kissed again, Rachel's foot lifting into the air. "Thank you," she finally said in response to his compliment when they pulled apart. "It was definitely my best performance considering I had only learned the song a couple hours in advance."

He grinned, kissed her cheek and set her down on the floor. "Could have fooled me," he said with a smile as he handed her the white roses with stars placed in the middle.

Rachel gasped and took the flowers from him. "Noah, they're beautiful!" She cradled them in one arm as she wrapped the other around his neck and hugged him. "Thank you so much!"

"No biggie."

They kissed again, causing Abbey to exclaim disgustedly just before Jeremy came up behind her, wrapping his arms around her shoulders in a hug. "Hey, you were great!"

Abbey turned around and smiled when she saw her boyfriend. She stood up on her toes to kiss him. Puck, cried in disgust the same way she had. "Ew! Don't do that while I'm around! It's gross," he said, mocking her tone from before. Abbey pulled away from Jeremy to stick her tongue out at Puck. "Oh, you can dish it, but you can't take it, huh?"

His little sister just rolled her eyes. "I loved it, Bumble Bee," Jeremy said, touching his nose to hers quickly. "It was really beautiful." Abbey smiled and rested her forehead against his. "Did you ask your brother?"

"Oh, right…" Abbey turned to look at Puck, who was currently talking with Rachel, their faces only inches apart. "Puck?" He looked up at her. "Jeremy wants me to come with him to Grandview."

Puck nodded his head once and looked at Jeremy. "Chemo?" Jeremy ran a hand through his curly brown hair and nodded once.

"Yeah, I switched back to Grandview a month and a half ago."

"Oh, yeah, Abbey told me…"

Jeremy let out a sigh. "They wanted to start me as soon as possible but there were a lot of tests. Today's my first day back on the medicine."

"Oh, good luck, man." Puck held his hand out to him and they did the ridiculous upturned handshake that boys do. "Sure, you can go," he said to Abbey, who squealed. "But, only for company purposes. I don't want any shenanigans or anything. If I get a call from _anyone _at that hospital saying there has been a teenage girl who looks a lot like you running around the halls, we're back to grounding, understand?"

Abbey saluted him before wrapping her arm around Jeremy's. "Deal." She hugged Puck and Rachel. "Thank you so much for helping me with this, Rachel. It means a lot. You really were wonderful."

Rachel laughed once. "You were, too. And you're welcome. I'd do it again any day."

They smiled at each other before Jeremy and Abbegail went out to the parking lot, where his parents were waiting. Puck helped Rachel into her coat and slipped on his own before they walked out to the parking lot as well, climbing into Puck's shiny new truck that he was more than thrilled to be driving. They pulled out and headed toward Puck's house as Rachel turned to him.

"Jeremy has cancer, too?"

"Yeah, leukemia, like Abbey. They met at Grandview when Abbey was about seven. He was nine or so. They were in chemo together. Became instant friends. It wasn't until Abbey turned twelve that they started, like, getting slightly involved."

Rachel's eyebrows shot up. "Getting involved?"

Puck laughed once. "Well, not _involved _involved, but it was obvious they liked each other in that way and everything. It was kind of cute, actually, I guess, if you're into that whole, we grew up together, suffered through leukemia together and then fell in love kind of thing. Which I'm not." She smiled. "But, they started dating when she turned thirteen last year. Julio's cancer never went away, when Abbey's did and she stuck with him a lot. They might as well be married."

"That's nice," Rachel said, looking out the window before her eyes flashed to the bouquet in her lap. "Thank you for my flowers."

He shrugged. "It was no problem. Figured you deserved the best. This was the best I could do." They fell into silence. Puck was halfway to his house when his hit his hand on the steering wheel. "Oh, damn… I forgot."

Rachel looked up from the flowers she was still admiring to stare at him. "Forgot what? Do we need to turn around?"

He shook his head. "Naw, that's not it. I wanted to go talk to Quinn," he said, still shaking his head. "I wanted to talk to her about the little-"

"Spat that the two of you had?" He looked at her with one raised eyebrow. "I could hear you guys from upstairs that morning. You were shouting so loud, I woke up. Heard the whole thing."

Puck frowned. "Oh… Well, I wanted to talk to her about it."

Rachel nodded her head. "I think that's a good idea. You need to straighten things out between the two of you."

"You wouldn't mind if I stopped at Finn's house? You could take the truck back to my house to get your car."

"How would you get home?"

Puck shrugged. "I could walk."

Rachel gaped at him as if that were an appalling idea. "No, you won't be walking home in this weather! I can drive the truck back to your house, pick up my car and you can call me when you're done talking with Quinn."

Puck was already pulling into Finn's driveway. He was glad that Finn's car wasn't there. "You sure?"

He turned to look at Rachel, who nodded. "Yeah, of course. That will give us some time to talk about what you and Quinn discussed, if you want to, of course."

Puck looked uneasy, but nodded, smiled and climbed out of the car as Rachel slid over to the driver's seat. "Don't crash my new truck," he said before kissing her and shutting the door.

He took a deep breath and waited until Rachel had pulled out of the driveway before walking up the walk way and ringing the doorbell once. He waited for a few seconds before it flung open. Quinn was standing there, looking quite disheveled in wrinkly pajamas, a messy bun that was falling out and puffy, red eyes. Puck knew she had been crying. She didn't even have to say anything. Quinn just stood to the side and opened the door enough for him to walk in before slamming it shut behind him.  
~*~

"What are you doing here?" Quinn sniffled when Puck settled himself in the kitchen. "Do you want something to drink? Water, juice, tea, something?"

Puck thought she sounded like she had a cold, even though it was more than obvious she had been crying for at least a couple hours straight. "I'll make it," he said, getting up from his seat at the kitchen table as he started bustling around for the ingredients for tea.

Quinn hopped up onto the counter, crossing her legs like a first grader and nearly making her entire body disappear into the giant sweatshirt she was wearing. "What are you doing here?" she asked again, blowing her nose into a paper towel.

"I wanted to talk to you," he said, filling the electric kettle with water. "Do you want some?" She nodded and he put more water in. "About the fight we had on Friday morning after thanksgiving…"

She sniffled. "Oh, that," she said through her nose. "Yeah, I remember that."

Puck pulled two big mugs from the cabinet. "You still upset about it? Is that what you're crying about?"

"That, among other things." Puck waited for her to continue. "Finn and I had a fight because I wouldn't tell him why I was upset because I _couldn't _tell him why I was upset."

Puck leaned against the counter. "Well, you _could _tell him, you just _won't_."

Quinn ignored his comment and continued. "And, I think that I'm just overly hormonal."

The kettle started to whistle and Puck poured the boiling water into the mugs, finished the tea and handing her one. "Yeah, babies, man. They're a pain in the ass."

"That's not what I meant, Puck…" He shrugged, blowing on his tea and taking a sip. Quinn pinched the mug between her legs and stirred it with a spoon for about five minutes. "What exactly did you want to talk to me about?"

"What you said to my mom, and what I said to you." Quinn bit her lip. "I'm going to be honest with you, Quinn. I don't think I need to be, since honesty can only help us at this point. We need to be honest with each other in this whole shindig, otherwise it'll just be a waste of both of our times and the baby will grow up to be just as screwed up as we are. Do you agree?" She nodded once, but kept silent. "So, I'm not going to say sorry. I'm not going to take back anything I said. I'm not going to say that I was right about everything, but I'm not going to say that I was wrong either. We know that both of us were right and wrong about what happened.

"I must sound like a really big jerk right now, and I don't care that I am because if we're gonna do this, then we have to do whatever it takes to make it work. So, here goes…"

Puck took a deep breath and set his tea down on the kitchen table before turning to face her again. "Quinn, I think you're being really selfish." Her jaw dropped slightly. "Especially since you just up and told both Rachel and my mother without my permission. I don't understand how you would think that was okay."

"It wasn't. Puck, I just want to-"

"I'm not finished." She shrank back into her sweatshirt. "You're selfish about everything. You won't tell Finn, you randomly told my girlfriend and mother, and you just decided to keep the baby all by yourself. I love her, I do. Quinn, I love that baby with all my heart and I haven't even met her yet, but you're lucky I'm taking care of her, and you're taking that for granted. I told you I would help out and that I would do everything I can to take care of her, but you don't even talk to me about it. Out of the blue, you just decide, 'Hey, I'm gonna keep the baby', and you think that everyone is just going to go along with it?

"What if that didn't work for me? What if I didn't want to take care of her? My life is with Rachel and loving her, I shouldn't have to be tied down to helping out you and the baby. What would you have done if I didn't want her? Would you have raised it with Finn and not told him that the little girl that he takes care of every day and pays for and loves isn't even his? Or would you have given her up for adoption?

"Honestly, Quinn, Jesus! Just because you're having a hard time right now because you're a teenager and you could have had a whole life ahead of you that now can't happen because of your daughter, doesn't mean that you can just make decisions on your own. I'm the baby's father and you have to talk with me about this stuff.

"You don't want to tell Finn because you're waiting for the right time, right? Well, did it ever occur to you that maybe I wanted to do that same thing with my mom and Rachel? How is that fair to me. These things take time and you're just rushing into all the things that don't effect you.

"You're selfish."

When Puck finally took a breath and quieted down, Quinn looked at her tea, which she had still been stirring. "You're being really mean," she said in a quiet voice, once that Puck could barely hear.

He shook his head. "I'm just being honest, Quinn." She bit her lip. "Just think about what I said for a minute."

"I don't have to. You're right. I know you are… You're mean, but you're right. I'm really sorry about everything I did, Puck. It wasn't fair and I- I wasn't crying because you hurt my feelings. Well, I was, but that's not the point. At first, I was. But, then, after a while of thinking, I wasn't. I was being selfish and self-centered and I'm sorry. I didn't want to be that way with the baby."

Puck took a sip of his tea, which had gone cold. "… Really?" he said in a slightly disbelieving tone.

She nodded. "Really." Quinn took a deep breath and rested her head against the cabinet behind her. "I'm going to try to do things differently. I'll talk with you before I make any decisions _at _all. I'll even tell Finn if you want me to. Things are going to change with you, me and the baby, if you still want to be involved with her. I won't stop you if you don't want to because you don't want to deal with me anymore."

"Whoa, Quinn, hang on. I'm still in this, no matter what," he said, stepping toward her and taking her hand. "I'm angry for what you did, and I do agree with you when you say things need to change, but I'm in this with you."

They were silent for a long time. "I don't expect you to forgive me…"

He locked eyes with hers. "I will… eventually. Just make sure that you don't act like a selfish bitch and I won't have a reason to not forgive you."

"Don't act like such a pigheaded ass and I won't have a reason to act like a selfish bitch."

Puck smiled and held his hand out to her. "I think we have a deal, then."

She shook his hand with a tearful grin. "I think we do." Puck nodded and poured his cold tea down the sink. "Now, go home. Be with Rachel, like you're supposed to be."

"I'm gonna be with both of you."

Quinn nodded, but grabbed his hand. "You should talk to her about the baby, Puck… I think it's kind of a sensitive subject with her."

"And that's why I'm waiting to talk. I'll talk baby-talk when I'm _ready_."

She rolled her eyes and let go of his hand, scoffing. "Yeah, right… I forgot. You like to wait until you're ready to talk about her…"

"See, now you're acting like a selfish bitch again."

Quinn slowly looked at him, her eyes narrowed, but a smile formed on her face. "Shut up, Puckerman."

**So, this chapter is _very _OCC on Puck and Quinn's parts, I think, but I didn't know how else to handle it than to get a little out there. I'm trying to make you guys like her! Jeez, like, no one likes Quinn. Everyone's all, I HOPE THE GIVES THE BABY UP FOR ADOPTION! LALALA! But, she's not. Learn to like her, guys. Quinn is here to stay. **

**Once again, thank you to SuzQQ for the inspiration! :) Outfits for this chapter will be on my website, as well as the URL for Abbey's ballet dance, if you want to be able to see the real thing! :) I didn't make up the dance, it's something that I found, so, if the person who did the dance magically is reading this fanfiction, no copyright intended or anything. Not my dance, it's hers! **

**Hope you liked it and REVIEW! **


	37. Depression

**My sister informed me, after having breakfast, that the meal was quite burnt. So I had to start over and make it again... Re-written after Rachel shows up at the house. **

Chapter Thirty-Seven: Depression

After Abbegail's last ballet performance, things in the Puckerman household started to drift back slowly into the normal, while at the same time becoming a tense environment. Abbey was staying home more, since she didn't have ballet class anymore, and the only time she left the house when she went to her tutor on Wednesdays. She was keeping herself in oversized sweatpants and baggy t-shirts that Puck never wore anymore and almost never left her room. Puck rarely saw her anymore, since he was at school for most of the day, then he was working on homework with Rachel or cooking or cleaning, or driving her to her tutor.

She began to start missing her doctor's appointments after her medication was added up to about five different pills—Corticosteroids to stop the vomiting that were a direct effect of the chemo therapy she had started once, but then stopped, which resulted in Methotrexate to stop from more cells to grow but since she wasn't going to her chemo appointments, she had to take pain medication for the headaches she got, melatonin for the insomnia that was a direct result of the Celexa that Dr. Martin prescribed when he took one look at the teenager and diagnosed her with depression.

It was nothing Puck hadn't seen before. When Abbey was around nine or ten, she fell into depression because of the lack of result of her cancer treatments. Then, she had spent her time moaning and groaning around the house, rarely coming out of her room, which had turned into a deep, dark cave that Puck was afraid to walk into. She would black out her windows, draw the shades, then hang thick blankets on them so absolutely no sunlight whatsoever would be about to sneak through.

At least she was eating, even if it was junk food. She would appear in the kitchen momentarily, grab a bag of Lay's potato chips, some soda and a package of Double Stuf Oreos, then disappear back into her black hole of a bedroom. She never ate what was for dinner, nor did she consume anything other than junk. Not that it mattered to her what she consumed. The amount of things was consuming could make anyone, even Rachel Berry, obese, but she was losing weight from the cancer anyway, so she didn't care.

She never spoke, only on occasion, and when she did, she kept it to a minimum. Puck found that he was talking to Rachel a lot about Abbey's problem. Sometimes, it was out of pure concern and he needed advice, which he would take, but sometimes it was just to distract Rachel from talking about the baby. Whenever she would say, 'So, Noah, I've been thinking', Puck knew she was about to bring it up and so he instantly interrupted and said something concerning that Abbey had done recently. Rachel would listen intently and give him advice even if he didn't ask for it, which made him feel slightly guilty, but he didn't want to talk about the baby with her, so talking about something that was actually something he wanted to talk about was the right thing to do, wasn't it?

Whenever he would talk to Rachel, she would give him advice like, 'Well, I do think that it's right to give her space because she needs it and she'll come around, hopefully, but you should also try to talk to her because you are her brother and she needs her family.'

So, one night, Puck took Rachel's advice and decided that he was going to make Abbey's favorite dinner, stuffed mushrooms and fettuccini Alfredo, which he didn't even like that much, but since it was for Abbey, he was willing to sacrifice his disgust for the meal for just one night.

The smell brought her down from the abyss that is her room, but instead of going for the food, she just grabbed a two liter bottle of ginger ale and headed back to her room.

"Hey, wait, missy," he called to her, hearing her feet stop on the stairs. "Come back here." Slowly, Abbey started to move back to the kitchen. She entered with her eyes squinting like the light was too much for her and she looked away from the ceiling fan. "I'm making your favorite for dinner tonight. Are you hungry?" Puck asked, tilting the pan slightly to show her the mushrooms that were settled inside.

"Mm," she mumbled in a wordless monotone, sinking down into one of the kitchen chairs.

"I really think you should eat some really food, Abbey."

At a snail's pace, she reached up and turned the cap to the unopened soda, quickly turning it closed again as if the sounds of the carbonation escaping from the bottle were too loud. "Mm," she grumbled again. "Whatever," she wheezed as if it was her first real word in years.

Puck turned the burner down to a simmer and spun around to face her. "You shouldn't be eating junk food like what you are. It's not good for you. From all the sugar and sodium, you're gonna start dying."

A subtle scoff escaped her. "Already am," she croaked before rising from her seat and heading back to her room, soda bottle tucked under her arm.

Puck could barely hear her door shut with how careful with herself she was being. He could hear the lock click, though, and when it did, Puck yanked the pan off the stove, turned the burner off and snatched the phone receiver off the wall to dial Rachel's number.

It rang three times before she picked up. "Hello?"

"Rachel, I'm getting slightly desperate here," he said, running a hand over his Mohawk in frustration. "I've tried just about everything."

"What do you mean, everything?"

He fell into the chair that Abbey had been sitting in. "She's barely speaking now. She only said four things to me—'Mm', 'Mm', 'Whatever', and 'Already am'. Those aren't even sentences! They're not even sentence segments! They're just… grumbles. Her voice is all raspy and gravely. It's like she gargling nails or something."

"My goodness."

"Yes!" he said hysterically. "And, now I'm stuck with an entire meal's worth of stuffed mushrooms and fettuccini Alfredo which I'm not going to eat.

Puck could hear Rachel's chewing on her lip. "What if I came over? The three of us could watch a movie or something. Family time."

"Yeah, I guess that would work."

"Alright. I'll be over in a few minutes. Just, hang tight, Noah. We're gonna fix this, okay?" Puck just sighed. "And, don't throw away that food. It just so happens that fettuccini and stuffed mushrooms are my favorite foods, too."

He couldn't respond before he heard her hang up the phone.  
~*~

Twenty minutes after Rachel had hung up the phone, she walked up to Puck's front porch wearing leggings, flats and both a sweatshirt and Aerosmith t-shirt she had borrowed from his closet the last time she was over. The door opened before she rang the doorbell and Puck instantly smiled.

"So, that's where they've gone." Rachel stepped into the house with a frown. "I knew someone was taking my clothes, but I just pinned it a poltergeist and hopped that they would return soon."

Rachel's lips curled up into a small smile as Puck wrapped his arms around her waist. "Oh, well, that's too bad. You won't be getting them back for a while. I quite like them."

"Is that so?" She nodded. "Well, Miss Berry," he said, tightening his arms around her and lifting her off the ground so they were level, "if you're not going to give them back, then you have to kiss me." Rachel gave him a quick peck. "No, no. A real one."

Her face twisted into one of disgust. "Do I have to?" she said jokingly, like it was the most revolting act in the world.

"Yes, I believe you do. It's in the Rachel Berry is Trapped in The Arms of Noah Puckerman Handbook. As long as I have you in my grasp, you have to do what I say."

"Then, unhand me this instant!" she said, playfully hitting him on the chest.

"Not until you give me a proper kiss that a manly man such as myself deserves from a womanly woman such as you."

A small giggle escaped her and she ducked her head to press her mouth to hers, their lips molding together as if every kiss that the two of them possessed were made perfectly to be received by the other. When she pulled away, Puck let his arms loosen and she slid to the floor.

Rachel suddenly hushed her voice as is Abbey was listening to them. "So, where is she?"

"In her room, which she still rarely leaves unless necessary." Rachel took his hand and squeezed it once. "Abbey!" he called up the stairs. "Rachel's here."

There was silence for a long time but then, like a robber sneaking through a house at night, they could hear Abbey crossing her small room until she appeared at the top of the stairs, looking like a closet monster from the moonlight that was shining through the bathroom window. She started to descend the stairs and when she reached the bottom, Rachel wrapped her arms delicately around the girl like she was afraid Abbey was going to break.

"Hello, Abbegail," she said with a smile. Abbey just nodded her head once and continued into the TV room. "She's worse than I thought," Rachel whispered to Puck, who wrapped his arm around her shoulders. "Has she seen anyone since, well, has she seen anyone?"

Puck shook his head. "She still goes to her tutor on Wednesdays, but she doesn't do any of the work, and she hasn't been going to her doctor's appointments."

"Noah, that isn't good."

"Well, what am I supposed to do, Rachel, make her go? That would just make it worse. Yelling at a depressed person just makes them more depressed," he stage whispered as the two of them walked into the TV room with Abbey.

The two girls sat on the couch for a while as Puck searched for a movie to watch, but after a few minutes, Rachel stood up and headed to the kitchen. "Abbey, I'm going to make some hot chocolate, you want some?"

Abbey nodded but didn't say anything, escaping back to her room when she knew that Puck and Rachel weren't paying attention. The brunette came walking back into the TV room with two steaming mugs in her hands and frowned.

"Where did she go?" Rachel said, placing the mugs on a little end table pushed against the wall.

Puck looked up from his assorted DVD's and his eyes flicked around the room. "Oh. She must have stowed away back in her room. She's like a cat. You can't hear her at all."

Rachel lowered herself onto the couch. "I'm worried about her. This is very concerning."

"Yeah, tell me about it," he said, putting a DVD into the player.

"What did you pick?"

He sat down next to her and wrapped his arms around her warmly. "You'll see."

They settled down together, her head on his shoulder as they shared a hot chocolate, saving the other one for the very slim possibility that Abbey would come back down. Rachel smiled when the menu for the Les Miserables 25th anniversary concert came on the screen and Puck pressed play.

"I didn't know you bought this," she said with a smile.

He shrugged. "Yeah. I was going to give it to you for your birthday or something, because I'm a good boyfriend, but then I saw you already had it when I was over last weekend."

Rachel just smiled even wider and settled herself back into his side, which she fit into perfectly. They got to Fantine's death before Rachel started fidgeting; shifting every couple of seconds and letting out a frustrated sigh.

"Are you okay?" he said, running his fingers softly through her hair. "You seem a little off."

Rachel let out a very soft sigh. "It's nothing, Noah."

"Hey, don't, 'It's nothing, Noah' me, Rachel Berry..." She sat up and gave him a half smile. "Come on. Talk to me."

"I don't know. I'm afraid you might get a little annoyed with me." Puck frowned. "It's... I just wanted to know a little bit about the baby," she said, looking down at her fingers shamefully.

Puck swallowed down angry words that were attempting to rise from his throat. "I don't know, Rachel... I don't think I'm really ready to talk about stuff like that."

"Why not? Are you afraid to talk to me?"

He shook his head rapidly and turned toward her, taking her hands in his. "I'm not afraid at all, Rachel. I'm not afraid to tell you anything. I'm just not ready for this," he said in a soft voice as his thumbs were running over her knuckles. "But, I will be."

This was the first time Puck was fully directing what Rachel wanted to know. The other time he'd brought it up, he pretended he was a sleep. It felt good to be able to really tell her.

"Do you know when you will be?"

He laughed once and held her hands tighter. "Rachel, I promise," he said, reaching up to push her hair away from her face before cupping her jaw. "When I am ready to talk about it, you'll be the first one I go to at the precise moment I know that I can talk, okay?"

She turned her head to press her cheek into his palm. "I just don't want you to keep me in the dark, Noah."

"You're my shining star, Rachel. You shine too brightly in my life for me to be able to keep in the dark."

Rachel smiled into his hand and his thumb stroked across her cheek once before bringing her to him, his lips pressing softly against hers. Puck pulled her closer, his fingers tangling into her hair as her hand reached up to let her fingers delicately touch his cheek. They didn't hear the footsteps on the stairs and the two of them jumped in their seats when feet landed heavily on the ground floor.

"Oh, my God, Noah, she's alive," Rachel said, pointing over his shoulder to Abbey, who was standing there with her arms crossed over her chest.

A towel was wrapped around her head while a clean tank top and pajama pants hung on her frame. Her face had a brighter complexion. She was even giving them a faint smile.

"She lives!" he said in response, turning to face his sister. "Why the sudden revelation, Abbs?"

"I finally answered Jeremy's two millionth call," she said, pulling the towel off and hanging it on the railing. "He only said one thing to me before he hung up the phone."

Puck smirked. "And that was?"

"'Stop acting like your life sucks, at least you're not bald yet', then he laughed menacingly and hung up on me." Puck made a face but Abbey continued. "So, I know that it's a little late, but I was wondering..."

"Yeah...?"

She reached down onto the stairs and picked up a folded piece of lined paper. "Maybe, one more thing to cross off the list."

"The list?" Rachel said, swinging her legs from off of Puck's lap to sit up straight. "What list?"

Abbegail unfolded the piece of paper and handed it to Rachel. "A list of goals."

Rachel scanned the paper. "I can see you already have a few crossed out." Puck's little sister nodded. "Well, good for you. I think a bucket list is a good idea."

She handed the paper to Puck. "What did you have in mind, squirt?" he said, looking over the things. "Most of this stuff isn't possible at-" He looked at his watch "-Eleven o'clock at night..."

"I- I know. I was thinking we could do that one." Abbey pointed to number eighteen on the list and he nodded once.

"Well, you know, that's not such a bad idea. Rachel wouldn't be able to come, though."

The brunette scoffed. "Ugh, and why not?"

"Because the list doesn't say 'With Puck and Rachel', it says 'With Puck', so, excuse me, little lady, but you'll best be getting your fine ass out of here," he said, kissing her cheek before she stood up.

"Well!" she said in fake-offense, "if that's the way it's going to be, then I am _leaving_!"

Rachel grabbed the sweatshirt she had bee wearing before and pulled it on before storming through the TV room. "Bye, Rachel!" the two siblings called happily behind her. She couldn't help but hold back a smile. "Well, little sister, if you want to do this one, you'll have to get into the proper attire."

Abbey placed her hands on her hips. "And, what exactly would that be?" she said, arching an eyebrow at him.

"That would be black, my dear. All black. Black shoes, black pants, black shirt, black everything." Abbey stood at attention and saluted him. "Now, hop to! We don't have all night, here!"  
~*~

Ten minutes later, Puck and Abbey were driving down a quiet road a few towns over from Lima, where they knew no one would know them. Abbey had done as she was told, wearing all black, as well as a black hat and warriors paint under her eyes, which Puck had said was essential. Puck had stressed that dress was the most important part to a midnight sneak out, thus you must dress as badass as possible. Abbey had selected black jeans with black combat boots and a t-shirt, black fingerless gloves on her heads. Puck had selected the same, but he had Converse on his feet and a black hat stuck on his head. At this moment, they were heading to the junk yard where Puck claimed the best midnight sneak out items usually resided. The only problems, though, were barbed wire gates, automatic movement lights, and Buddy, the guard dog who wasn't as 'buddy'ful as you'd expect him to be.

"Please explain to me how we're supposed to get past all these security things," Abbey said, retying the lace to her boot nervously. "And why are we going to a junk yard anyway?"

"You clearly have never been on a sneak out before. Trespassing is a must and you need stuff to do your sneaking with. It's all part of the fun."

"Then, you clearly have a different idea of sneak out than I do."

Puck smiled. "My sneak outs are unlike any other, sis. Just hold tight. I _promise_, you're going to have fun."

Abbey rolled her eyes but said no more as Puck pulled off the road onto a patch of dirt, where he parked the car and turned off the headlights. She looked out the window at the ten foot fence next to her. Looking at the barbed wire wrapped around the top of the fence, she gulpd nervously.

"Puck..." she said with a shake in her voice. "I don't think I can get over that fence... Do you see that wire?"

He undid both his and her seat belts and climbed out of the car. "That's why you've got the gloves, squirt," he said when he opened her door. "Come on, Abbegail. It'll be a piece of cake. I've done this a million times."

"Yeah, but I haven't," Abbey snapped back, taking his hand and jumping out of the truck. "You have more experience..."

Puck rolled his eyes. "Just shut up and climb the fence..." Abbey arched one eyebrow at him and took one step away. "Fine, I'll go first, then I'll help you over."

He rubbed his hands together before leaping off the ground and climbing up the fence. He got to the top and straddled the fence before looking down at Abbey. "Okay, just climb up the side. Worry about the top when you get there."

Abbey did as she was told, reaching the top as Puck was climbing onto the hood of a car piled on top of two other ones. "Now what?" she said, clinging to a few of the chain links below the top so she wouldn't touch the barbed wire.

"Grab my hands," he said, reaching to her.

Cautiously, Abbey reached up and took her brother's hands, shrieking when he pulled at her arms and hoisted her over the fence in one swift movement. She landed next to him, her shoes making a loud echo noise on the rusted metal. As Puck let go of her, Abbey looked at him with raised eyebrows and a smile.

"See? I told you there was nothing to worry about."

"Yeah, clearly there wasn't, but would you like to explain to me how we're going to get down from here?"

Puck looked down. "Oh, I, uh, didn't think about that part."

"Obviously."

He scratched his chin for a moment, then snapped his fingers. "Give me your hands."

"Again?"

"Hey, you want to get down, don't you?"

With a nod, Abbey took her brother's hands again and slowly lowered herself down the side of the car until she was hanging five feet of the ground. Her toes were pressed against the car underneath the top as she lifted herself slightly to look at the ground under her.

"Um, uh, Puck? I'm five feet from the ground... How am I supposed to get down?"

He grinned. "I'm gonna drop you."

"Oh, no, I don't think so!" she said, attempting to climb back up the car. "I'm five feet from the ground! A few more inches, and the drop would be as tall as I am! No. Absolutely not. We'll find another way."

Puck shook his head. "Nope. It's to late. You're already half way there. I'm gonna drop you, okay?"

"No!"

"You ready?"

"No!"

"Okay, good. Let go!"

"Puck!"

Abbey screamed when Puck's hands released her wrists and she fell to the ground. Her knees collapsed and she brought up a cloud of bust when her bdy landed on the dirt. Abbegail stayed still for a minute, but then moved, lifting up her head to glare at her brother. Puck smirked and in an impressively skillful way, he jumped down from he top car and landed on the ground next to her.

Her eyes narrowed in the darkness. "I hate you," she grumbled as he reached his hand down to help her up. She knocked it away. "Like, I really, really hate you."

He shrugged. "It was the only way, Abbegail. I'm sorry."

"Yeah, whatever. I still hate you for dropping me." There was a sudden barking off in the distance. Puck grabbed Abbey and pushed her against the car as they flattened themselves as best they could. "What is that?"

"That's Buddy."

"The dog who sounds friendly, but isn't?" Puck nodded once. "I feel like we're going to die tonight."

Puck took her hand and squeezed it once. "Don't worry. We're going to be fine."

With one nod, the two of them started to sneak around the junk yard, hand in hand. They weren't two feet away from the cars when the Mission Impossible theme song started to play.

"Where is that coming from?" Abbey stage whispered, looking around for the source of the noise. Puck pulled out his iPod touch, which was playing the song out of it's built in speakers. "Ugh, seriously?"

He nodded and slammed his back against a pile of metal, his eyes scanning he darkness. He tucked and rolled, dashing around the junk yard like a secret agent. Abbegail just stood there and when he waved her over, she walked straight across the yard, ignoring the lights that would light up on her.

"You could have just walked, you know," she said, going to squat next to him.

Puck glared at her. "Being sneaky is half the fun, Abbegail," he said, pausing the music and sticking his iPod back in his pocket. "Now, what we have to do is try to get passed Buddy without him attacking us."

"Isn't he tied up somewhere?"

"Yes, he is, but Buddy is vicious. He will kill you at free will."

Abbey nodded once before the two of them started to dodge around piles of junk, picking up things along the way. When they reached a wooden fence with a latched door, the barking started again. All of the items in Abbey's arms fell to the ground and she jumped nearly two feet in the air.

"Don't move!" Puck said, grabbing her arm and dropping the things in his hands as well. "It's Buddy."

She looked around. "Where?" Slowly, Puck lifted his hand to point at the dog house that was right next to the fence, a metal post sticking from the ground that had a chain attached to it. "It's in the dog house?" He nodded again just as the dog came running out. "_That's _Buddy?" she said in a shocked voice. "_That's_... Buddy?" Puck nodded. "Puck, that is not a vicious dog! That's a beagle puppy!" The dog barked again, wagging it's tail rapidly as it's tongue hung from it's mouth. "He's so cute!"

She stepped away from the pile they were hiding behind and sarted to walk toward the dog. "Don't, Abbey. He may look sweet and innocent, but I promise you, he's not..."

Abbey waved him off and took another step toward the dog. He stopped barking when she was only a few inches away. His ears were up attention and his head cocked to the side. She took one more step then knelt down on the ground, reaching her hand out to him. Buddy sniffed her knuckles for a moment then started licking her hand. She laughed and sat down in the dirt, letting the puppy crawl into her lap as she pet his soft fur.

"Hi, cutie," she cooed as Buddy licked her face. "You're not vicious, are you? No, you're a sweetheart!"

Puck's jaw dropped. "Well, Christ..."

"Well, look what we have here," a voice said from behind them. "Look at this girl with Buddy. I ain't seen that before... Then again, no one really trespasses in my junk yard, except for one little hooligan I know." Puck turned from his spot crouching on the ground to turn around and look up at the broad shouldered man looming over him. "What a shock to see you again, Puckerman."  
~*~

"How many times to I have to tell you, Puckerman? Do not trespass on my property, boy!"

At this very moment, Puck and Abbey were sitting in the office to the owner of a junk yard, who also liked to hire himself as night watcher. Puck was sitting there as if he were in the principal's office after having just gotten caught, lounging in the chair as if it were no big deal. Abbey was sitting next to him, her back rigid and her hands placed on her knees.

"Listen, old man," Puck said, pointing a finger at the man. "My sister and I were just having some fun."

"Fun? Fun! You call trespassing on my lot, _Ray's_ lot, fun!"

Puck rolled his eyes. "Yeah, Ray, we do think it's fun. Just trying to cross some stuff off my baby sister's list."

Ray narrowed his eyes. "What in the hell are you talking about, a list, boy?"

He was silent for a moment before making Abbey sit forward as he pulled the now slightly dirty piece of paper out of her bak pocket. Puck handed it to Ray and the man unfolded it, scanning the list quickly. When he finished, he folded it back up and handed it to Abbey, who took it nervously.

"Alright, well, you got one thing off your list. No more sneaking into my property, alright?"

"Whatever, old man."

Ray glared at Puck. "Hey, kid, twenty-seven ain't that old!"

Puck snorted. "It is if you used to be in the army..."

The man shook his head once and Abbey looked at him. "We're really sorry, um, Ray. Really, we are. It was all my brother's idea."

Buddy, who had been keeping himself hidden under the desk, came out when he heard Abbegail's voice. He scurried over to her and jumped his front paws onto her lap, his head resting between her knees. She reached down and scratched behind his ear.

"Well, I'll be damned..." Ray said with a laugh. "Never in my life have I seen lil' Buddt take to someone like he's taken to you, little lady."

Abbey smiled when the puppy put his paw over her hand when she let her palm rest on the top of his head. Buddy's nose buried itself between the sides of her knees. "He's cute," she said with a grin, scratching his ears again. Ray nodded once. "Why do you have this little puppy guarding the yard?"

"He ain't guarding nothing but his home. Pup lives out there," he said, his southern accent sounding more than out of place in a town like their's. "Keep him there 'till middle of December rolls around."

She shook her head. "That's not good for him, you know," she said. "He could get sick. I mean, I'm cold in this leather jacket. His fur must be even thinner than my coat."

Ray ran a hand over his boot camp hair cut. "Yeah, darlin', I know, but I ain't got another place for him. I'm not allowed to keep him where I live."

"Then, where does he go in the winter?"

"Not even sure yet. I've only had the pup since July." Abbey nodded once and allowed the puppy to jump up onto her lap. Ray scratched his chin a few times. "Would y'all be opposed to takin' 'im?" Abbey's face nearly lit up the entire room. "I don't know what else I'd do with him. Hates damn near every one he's been around. Except the girl here," he said to Puck, who was shaking his head slowly.

Abbey looked at her brother with pleading eyes. "Oh, Puck, please?" she said, biting her lip. "Look at him, Puck! He's so adorable!"

"House-trained, too."

She bit her lip again and looked at Puck with a squeal. "Please?"

He sighed. "We'd have to talk to Mom, Abbegail, you know that." Puck stood up and held his hand out to her. "She should be home at one, we'll talk to her then, okay? If we leave now, that is."

She nodded and took his hand, standing up next to him. "Alright, fine." Buddy sat back on his legs and lifted one paw into the air. Abbey reached down to shake it. "Nice to meet you, little man." She knelt down and scratched his ears. "I'll be coming back for you" she whispered before standing back up and looking at Ray.

He nodded once to her and she waved as they walked out of the office. Puck lead her out through the gate, which Ray had opened for them, and to the car. He opened the door for her and she climbed in, searching around in the glove compartment for a pen. She scratched out 'Midnight Sneak Out with Puck' on her list.

"Hey, what are you crossing that out for?" he said as he started the truck.

Abbey smiled and folded up the piece of paper. "This was good enough for me." He laughed once. "And I will have you know... I will be getting that dog."

**So... Yes, I rewrote this chapter, because the other one, as me and my sister now refer to it, is the shit chapter. Please, review to this! Let me know what you guys think! And, in the next chapter, I'm thinking of putting in a little something that my readers want! Give me a suggestion in a review and the one I like best will get their idea in the story, as well as a small cameo sometime later. So, give me a review, a sggestion and whoever wins will get into breakfast. **

**Think of yourselves as intern cooks and I'm the taste-tester! **

**Review! **

**Outfits for this chapter will be on my website later. Link to that on my profile page! **


	38. A Disturbance

**Okie doke. Here is the next chapter in the incredible seemingly created chronicles of Rachel, Puck, Abbegail and their trusty crew of the rest of the cast. This, my dear friends, is chapter something. **

Chapter Thirty-Eight: A Disturbance

"Please, Mom?" Abbegail said, falling to her knees as she clasped her hands in the prayer position and looked up at her mother with pleading eyes. "Please!"

Sarah stared down at her daughter, hands on her hips and a tired expression on her face. You could see from all the hours that she worked, her eyes—which were usually bright and lively—were drooping at the corners with a fatigue that not many people carry with them. "Abbegail Mason Puckerman, it's 1:30 in the morning. You have been begging me for a half an hour straight about this puppy."

As her mother started to walk away, Abbey shot to her feet and followed after her. "Because I want it so much."

"We don't even know anything about this dog."

"Yes, we do." Sarah started fixing herself a mug of tea, yawning nearly the entire time. "We know that his name is Buddy and he's house trained and he's the sweetest little puppy in the entire world."

Puck, from his crouching spot on the floor by the fridge where he was finishing off a Ben&Jerry's container of Phish Food, snorted. "He may be the sweetest little puppy in the world to you, but he hates the rest of the world."

"Or, maybe he just hates _you_," Abbey said, glaring at him because he knew how much she wanted this puppy and he was working against her. "He actually is really nice, Mommy, I swear."

Sarah let out a long sigh. "Okay, if you stop bugging me _right _now, then we'll go visit this Buddy tomorrow and see what he's like. Then, I'll make my decision."

Abbey turned to her brother. "Are you going go over with us tomorrow?"

"Naw, I'm planning on taking Rachel out to a movie. The two of us haven't really done much going out for a while." Sarah nodded and Abbey accepted her brother's answer, even though she did want him to go with them. "But, you guys have fun." Their mother started walking out of the room. "Make sure buddy doesn't kill you, Mom!" he called after her, earning another glare from Abbey before she settled herself in his lap like a five year old.

"Why do you think that dog likes you so much, but he hates everyone else?"

Abbey yawned. "I think it's my scent."

"You're scent?"

"He likes the way I smell," she explained, head on his shoulder. "He kept nuzzling his nose between my arm and the side of my stomach like he smelled something he liked." _Weird,_ Puck thought to himself, supporting her slightly when he felt her body start to give out from tiredness. "I'm sleepy," she whispered, snuggling into his chest and closing her eyes.

Puck hugged her tightly to him, not caring about the ice cream he had stuck back in the freezer. "You should go to bed, squirt."

She shook her head. "No… To. Far…" Abbey let out a content sigh and Puck could practically feel the consciousness draining out of her body. "Here. Good."

Then, with one last sigh, she was asleep, her head dipped nearly into her lap as it rested against Puck's chest. He carefully maneuvered himself so his arms were hooked under her as he carried his little sister up the stairs to her tiny bedroom in the corner of the house. Puck tucked her in and kissed her forehead, whispering, "Sleep well, baby sister. Sleep fights cancer," before tiptoeing out of her room and shutting the door without a sound.

He then retreated to his room and changed into a pair of pajama pants, taking out his contacts and crawling into his own bed, wherein he fell asleep almost instantly, dreams about Rachel creeping into his mind.

Puck dreamt that he and Rachel were in New York, walking down Broadway with her hand wrapped around his arm. She was smiling up at him and he was smiling down at her. That's all they were doing—walking and smiling. Suddenly, out of nowhere, questions started buzzing out of her mouth; "How's the baby, Noah?" "When's the baby due?" "Are you taking care of her?" "What are you going to name her?" "Does she look more like Quinn or you?" "Does she cry a lot?" "Will you tell me everything?" As Rachel kept asking questions, Quinn appeared in front of them, a baby in her arms that was wailing loudly, making his eardrums almost rattle from the noise of Rachel beside him, the baby in Quinn's arms and Quinn herself pestering him to take care of the baby. "Puck! She's crying, can't you see?" Rachel started chanting his name. "Noah! No-o-o-oah! Noah! Noah!"

"Shut up!" he said, waking himself from the noise filled dream, his hands clamped over his ears when his eyes flashed open to stare into the darkness. He was breathing heavily and when he covered his eyes with the palms of his hands, he grumbled, "Christ" into the shadows.

His door opened. "Puck?" a quiet voice whispered and from the dim light in the hallway, he saw his little sister's silhouette standing in his doorway.

"Sorry," he said, pushing himself up onto his elbows. "Did I wake you up?"

"No, I woke up to get some water and you shouted at me to shut up. I was being as quiet as I could."

"I wasn't shouting at you. I had a bad dream."

Puck could tell she was frowning, even though her face was completely invisible to him. "Sounded like a pretty bad dream," she whispered, her hand lingering on the doorknob for a moment before she stepped into his room and shut the door behind her. "You kept groaning."

He let himself flop back down onto the bed as he covered his face with his hands again. "It was this really weird dream where Rachel kept asking questions about-"

"I don't want to hear about it, Puck," she said quietly as she crawled into his bed, tucking her arm under one of his spare pillows. "If it was bad, it was bad but you had it and there's nothing you can do about it."

"But, it was about Rachel. And Quinn. And Drizzle."

She frowned again in the darkness, but this time, with how close she was, Puck could see her. "Who's Drizzle?"

"The baby."

"You're naming her Drizzle?" she said in a condescending voice, her hand covering her mouth.

Puck shook his head. "God, no. Finn wants to name her that because he's an idiot. It's all we have for the moment." Abbey was silent. "Anyway… Rachel was asking all these questions, really pestering questions, about Drizzle and then, all of a sudden, Drizzle was there and she was crying and Quinn started talking really loudly about 'how couldn't I see that the baby was crying'."

"Oh."

Abbey's voice was quiet. Puck nodded in the dark, flipping onto his back to look up at the ceiling. "You know, sometimes, I think that if I had told Rachel about the baby myself, then she wouldn't be asking all these questions, and she wouldn't want to know as much," he mused, tucking one arm under his head.

"Why do you think that?"

"Because then she would have heard the news from me. I think that, because someone else told her, she knows I was keeping secrets from her and subconsciously she thinks I'm keeping more, which is why she keeps wanting to know about the baby all the time. If I had told her, maybe she would have laid off more."

His sister curled up into a ball, wrapping the blankets around her. "Or, maybe she just wants to know because she's your girlfriend and you're having a baby and she's curious."

"It's a debatable statement. I'm sticking to my thesis."

Abbey rolled her eyes. "You're an idiot."  
~*~

Rachel decided to sleep in on Saturday morning. Not for any particular reason, she just thought that she deserved a little more sleep because she has been working hard her whole life and for some reason it was at sixteen that she decided to relax a little bit. She didn't get much, though, because at eight o'clock, Duncan was looming over her with a smile on his face.

"You've got a telephone call, Rachie."

"Daddy, sleep," she mumbled, rolling over to turn her back to him. "Let me sleep."

Duncan placed his hand on her hip and pulled his hand back so she was lying on her back. "It's Noah."

That woke up Rachel enough to fling her hand out lazily and take the phone from her father. "Hello?" she said in a groggy voice as Duncan quietly shut the door when he left.

"Hey," his husky voice responded, making Rachel feel warm and melted inside. "Good morning, beautiful."

"You woke me up." Her voice sounded slightly like a child's and at that, Puck laughed. "It's not funny. I wanted to sleep in."

He laughed again and through his chuckle, he said, "Well, it's eight o'clock. Time to embrace the day. Get dressed. I'm taking you out."

She frowned. "But, it's eight o'clock."

"I know. Because I just told you. Wake up, Rachel."

Then, the line went dead and Rachel stared at the phone with a frown before she hit 'End' and set it on the night table. She could already feel her eyelids sliding closed again from the sleep that was just so welcoming. Her breathing slowed when she started slipping away but jumped to a start when someone shook her shoulder.

"I thought I told you to wake up," Puck said from above, his hand slipping from her shoulder to her cheek so he could kiss her lips. "Time to start the day."

He marched over to her closet and pulled it open, grabbing the first piece of clothing he saw and throwing it on her bed. "Put this on." Puck opened her dresser and pulled out the necessities, including a bra and underwear, for Rachel to put on. "We're going out."

"So you said," Rachel said, slipping out of bed and shutting her bedroom door so she could start to get dressed. "What you did not tell me, however, is where it is we are going."

"That doesn't matter. What matters is that we're going, so get dressed, brush your teeth, comb your hair and be ready for the day, Rachel Berry." She stared at him for a long time as she stood there in her pajamas, her hands planted on her hips as her eyebrow arched to nearly her hairline. "What?"

Rachel bit her lip for a second. "Noah, you're acting very strange."

He shook his head once. "No, I'm not. We're just…" He stopped momentarily to think. "Rachel, today, I just want it to be a day for us. We've spent a week hanging around my house waiting for Abbey to get some sense slapped into her, and finally that day has come. Come on, let's take some time for ourselves."

"What's really wrong with you, Noah?" she said, taking a step toward him and holding his hands in her own.

"I had this dream, Rachel," Puck whispered, squeezing her hands once. "And I didn't like this dream. It freaked the fuck out of me, I'm telling you. I don't want this dream to come true."

She frowned. "What was the dream about?"

"You and me and…" He stopped. "Just… Just go with me on this, Rachel, okay?"

A smile branched across her face, one of those smiles that made Puck smile right back. Rachel picked up the clothes he had thrown at her and walked up to him, kissing his cheek. "Okay, I'll change. No peeking," she said as she danced her way into the bathroom.

The door shut loudly behind her and Puck sat down on the edge of her bed, only needing to wait a couple minutes before she sauntered out of the bathroom, spinning once to show off her ensemble. The skirt flared slightly and she spun over to Puck, who caught her in his arms.

"Wonderful. Now, are you ready to go?"

She looked up at him. "I am ready to go."

Puck wrapped his arm around her and they walked out of her room, down to the kitchen, where her fathers were eating breakfast and chattering about one of Jared's coworkers who always smelled too strongly of AXE cologne, seeming to do it just because he know Jared didn't like the smell. Rachel and Puck stood in the doorway for a moment, listening.

"Even my patients have commented on it, always wondering where the smell is coming from," Jared said through some scrambled eggs. He noticed his daughter and Puck standing in the doorway. "Oh, hello, kids. Where are you off to?"

Puck smiled and wrapped his arm around Rachel's waist. "I'm taking her out for the day."

Duncan nodded. "Well, make sure you're not back at some obscene hour of the night. Rachel, you have a packed schedule tomorrow."

"I know, Dad, I know." She kissed both of them on the cheek. "Have a good day," Rachel called over her shoulder as Puck lead her to his truck that still smelled new on the inside.

Rachel loved that smell. It always reminded her of long distance trips that she and her fathers used to go on in middle school. They would rent a car, which always smelled new, and just drive until they couldn't anymore.

"So, are you going to tell me where we're going?" she asked, buckling herself in, which felt strange since she had gotten so used to using a Bungee cord to lash herself to the seat.

Puck shook his head. "No, I'm not." Rachel frowned. "You've survived before without knowing where we were going, I think you can do it again…"

Rachel shook her head in protest. "I have not. I've always figured it out."

"Okay, well, let's see. What time is it, Rachel?"

Her eyes flashed to the clock on the radio. "Almost eight thirty."

"So, it's the morning. And what do you to in the morning when it's Saturday and you've got the whole day with your sex god boyfriend?"

"Sleep in," she grumbled, looking out the window.

"What else do you do?"

Rachel thought for a moment, her eyes gazing out the window at the houses that were starting to go by faster and faster as they headed onto the high way. "Breakfast. You eat breakfast."

Puck nodded once. "Right."

"So… We're going out to breakfast?" He nodded again. "That's it?"

"What do you mean, that's it? Rachel, this diner that we're going to, it's- Ugh, it's the best god damn diner in the world. The pancakes are so fluffy, they're like… Pillows. Sausages are cooked to perfection so each bite is so juicy and greasy at the same time that resentment for how fattening it is washes away because the taste is so delectable. The eggs are so good, that you'd think the chicken that shit them out had heaven shoved up its ass. It's not just a diner, Rachel. It's food paradise."

She giggled and gave him a loose smile, unbuckling her seat belt to sit in the middle of the bench seat, right next to him like she had when they went out to the city the day he treated her like a princess. "Sounds wonderful, Noah."

"It _is_."

And it was.  
~*~

Rachel and Puck had just finished breakfast at The Other Diner when Puck got a phone call. He got a lot of phone calls in his time, but there were only a certain few that made his stomach want to implode and then explode before catching on fire inside him. Calls that made his innards queasy usually related to Abbegail and this was the worst call he'd gotten in a few years.

Abbey and her mother had driven down to the junkyard early that morning, since Sarah had a shift at noon, to visit Buddy. It was cold, but sunny when they got there at around ten o'clock and even though she didn't want to admit it, Abbey was looking a little pale. They stood in front of the gate for a while, just staring into the mountains of junk no one else had wanted before suddenly they opened and Ray was standing there in his camouflage pants, tan shirt and boots. The dog tags around his neck jingled as he waved them in and lead them to where Buddy was hanging around in his doghouse.

As soon as Abbey was within ten feet, the puppy jumped to his feet, growled for a split second, but then remembered who she was and started barking happily, his tail wagging at a rapid rate.

"Hello, baby," she cooed, dropping to her knees and letting him leap into her arms, licking her face all over. "Hi, hello!"

Sarah couldn't help but smile. "Nice to meet you," she said to Ray, who was smiling down at the girl and the puppy as well. "I'm Sarah."

"Ray," he responded, shaking her hand. "You as well, ma'am. Your daughter sure likes this dog."

Abbegail was currently snuggling Buddy close to her. "She's always loved animals. We never had any, though, because her brother is allergic to most pets except fish."

"And a gold fish named Wriggly that didn't last more than a week is a sad excuse for a pet, Mother," Abbey called over her shoulder. Buddy growled playfully when she started playing Tug-O-War with a chewed up piece of rope. "So is a Chinese fighting fish named Bluey. That fish wasn't even blue, Mom."

Sarah rolled her eyes, but smiled again. "Anyway… You're offering my daughter your puppy?"

"It's not safe for him to stay outside. I can't keep him where I live, but he can't stay here or he'll freeze to death. Your little girl is the only one he likes, aside from me as far as I can tell."

"We just have to see if he likes me," Sarah said, taking a step toward Abbey and Buddy, who started barking loudly and growling. Sarah jumped back. "Jesus," she whispered, hand on her chest.

Ray grinned. "Sure is protective of your kid."

Sarah laughed once. "Is that what that is?"

"Don't worry, ma'am. Buddy is like that with all people in the beginning. He would growl at me every time I got close to him until he realized I wasn't gonna hurt him."

Ms. Puckerman rubbed her chin for a moment as she thought. "So, if he stays at the house, Noah and I will grow on him?"

"That's right, ma'am. And anyone else who spends an abundant amount of time at your house."

"Well, that's perfect. Especially for Noah's girlfriend. And us."

As the adults were talking, they didn't notice that Abbegail's playfulness with Buddy had stopped and she stood by the doghouse, clutching her head in her hands. Her eyes were pinched shut and her breathing quickened. Abbey tried to control it, deep breaths in, deep breaths out. It didn't help. A warm, oozing liquid started to drip from her nose. It smelled like blood. Buddy started barking loudly from his place by Abbegail's feet.

Sarah and Ray turned their heads a second too late and Abbegail collapsed to the ground. Ray called the ambulance. Sarah called her son.

Rachel and Puck were walking out of the diner, hand in hand, when his phone started ringing loudly in his pocket. "Hello?" he said, not letting go of Rachel's hand.

"Noah! It's Mom."

"What's wrong?"

"She's in the hospital, Noah. Come quickly, please."

Puck hung up the phone, his stomach churning inside him. He wished it wasn't there. Rachel looked up at him with a crease in her brow, lip bit between her teeth. She was waiting for him to speak.

"We need to go to the hospital," he said, yanking on her arm as they ran to the parking lot and leapt into the truck. "Mom called and all she said was come to the hospital."

He started the car and pulled out of the parking lot, speeding down the highway they had pulled onto. A car horn honked loudly at him when he cut them off as he pulled out. Puck started weaving through the highway, cutting people off and earning middle fingers and more horn honking because he wasn't using his signal. Rachel's hands were gripping the side of her seat.

"Noah," she said in a scared voice, her eyes glued to the road, "as in as much of a hurry as you are, I don't think that you want to end up in the hospital either, and I know that I don't." He scoffed at her. "Why don't you let me drive?"

A horn blared as the car drove by and Puck shook his head, weaving around a few cars. "No, you won't go fast enough."

"You underestimate my driving skills, Noah." A car almost rear-ended him. "Noah, pull over!" she shouted, throwing the door open and jumping out of the car. "Get out," Rachel said when she reached the driver's side.

Puck followed orders, moving to the passenger's seat without a word. Rachel buckled herself in and put the car in drive. "Hold on," she warned before her foot slammed on the gas and Puck's head was thrown back roughly onto the head rest as she started swirving through cars without getting honked at once because she was using her directional.

Rachel and Puck reached the hospital in less time than Puck would have gotten them there, and without a single accident, and the two of them raced through the hallways until they reached the ward that Dr. Martin was in charge of. "Abbegail Puckerman," he rushed out when he almost collided with the receptionist desk.

Without a word, the nurse pointed down the hall with her pencil. Puck grabbed Rachel's hand and yanked her in the direction they'd been appointed. Sarah was sitting outside Abbey's room, calmly reading a magazine.

"Mom!" Puck shouted, nearly lifting her out of the chair with his forceful hug. "What happened?"

Sarah put down her magazine and stood up, running her fingers through her hair a few times. "We went to pick up Buddy and the owner and I were talking. Next thing we know, Buddy is barking like crazy and Abbey is on the ground bleeding out her nose. We called the ambulance and got her here as fast as we could. Dr. Martin said it's good we got her here when we did. She needs to stay here for a few days and chemo starts first thing when she wakes up."

"About damn time," Puck said with an eye roll. "For a while, I thought these assholes were never going to give it to her."

"Noah, please," Sarah said, stroking her son's cheek once. "Why don't you two go on in? She's still sleeping, but I think she could use some company."

Puck looked down at Rachel when she took his hand and squeezed it. "You go, Noah. I'll stay out here with your mom."

He squeezed her hand back and kissed her hair before quietly opening the door and stepping into the room. Abbey's heartbeat is beeping steadily on the monitor next to her. A plastic cup of water sits on the rolling tray attached to the frame of the bed. Her breathing falters every couple seconds, but her heartbeat stays the same. That's all that matters. Puck grabs a chair that is an ugly shade of pink and sits down, taking her hand in his.

"You really have a knack for scaring me, Abbegail," he whispers, not wanting to wake her. "Every single day, I think you scare the shit out of me at least once… And I'm always afraid when I get those phone calls. I'm petrified that it'll be that last call, the one telling me that you're gone because now I'm finally starting to believe that you're going to leave, just like you said you will. "

Puck sucked in a deep breath and let it out slowly. "You are one in a million, Abbey. It's just a different million than you're thinking of."

Though she stayed asleep, Abbey's hand tightened around his as she rolled onto her side, her long brown hair falling over her face.

Puck detected a smile.  
~*~

The next day, Puck got a call from his mother saying that Abbey was slowly but surely waking up. "Her eyes opened about half an hour ago, but she fell right back asleep after," Sarah said as Puck climbed into his truck. "About five minutes ago, she woke up again. She said your name, then fell asleep again. Why don't you come on down?"

"Yeah, Mom, I'll be there in a few minutes. I just have to make one quick stop first."

Puck looked at the black t-shirt that was resting in the seat next to him, which he'd taken from Abbey's room. _I think he likes my scent_, her voice said inside his head as he pulled out of the driveway and toward the junkyard. Ray was waiting for him with Buddy by the gate. The little puppy, who was so small Puck could probably fit him nicely in only his two hands, started barking loudly. Puck threw the shirt at him. It landed on his head and the puppy flipped it off, barking a few times as he sniffed it. When he recognized the scent, the yipping stopped and Buddy sat on the shirt before curling up in it and closing his eyes.

"Damn, son, you figured it out," Ray said, loading Buddy's things into the back seat of Puck's truck as the teenager wrapped the puppy up in Abbey's shirt, making sure he wasn't covering Buddy's head. "He likes the smell of people."

"Some people," Puck said back, opening his jacket to tuck the puppy inside. "Anyway, thanks for this, Ray. Abbey will really appreciate it."

The junkyard owner just held his hands up. "You just tell her to get better, okay?"

Puck nodded once, shook Ray's hand, then climbed back into the truck, laughing when Buddy started sniffing around and tickling him with his little nose. He drove to the hospital in fits of giggles from the energetic little puppy and made sure that Buddy was still before strolling casually into the hospital. He made it to Abbey's room without getting noticed and he shut the door quickly before any one could realize he was smuggling a beagle puppy into the hospital that had a clear rule of 'No Animals Allowed'. Puck always rolled his eyes at that because they could make an exception for seeing-eye dogs, but not cute little puppies like Buddy?

When the door shut behind him, Abbey rolled her head to the side and opened her eyes slowly. "Hey," Puck said, walking to the edge of her bed.

"Hey, big brother," she croaked, her words as dry as her cracking lips. "Bet you thought I wouldn't be coming back here, huh?"

"Naw, I figured you'd just nip this whole cancer thing in the bud and be done with it," he said sarcastically. "You're doing good, though. Mom told me you can start chemo today."

She lifted up her arm and showed him the I.V. that had clear liquid dripping into it. "Already started. Just a matter of time before I start losing my hair."

Puck shook his head once. "Not for a couple weeks, and besides, it'll grow back." Abbey shrugged weakly, licking her lips in an attempt to ease the cracking. "I brought you a visitor," he said, making her turn and look at him. Puck unzipped his jacket and allowed the puppy to wander into the light, instantly leaping across Puck's lap to Abbegail.

"Buddy," she said in a voice that must have been happiness, even though she sounded like she was crying. "My Buddy." The puppy snuggled into her side, falling asleep almost instantly. "You brought him from the junkyard? Mom said, 'Yes'."

Puck nodded and Abbegail smiled. "You're going to get better," he said in a hopeful tone, reaching out to pet the sleeping puppy next to her, who had already started to take a liking to him. "I know you are."

She looked up at him with a look in her glassy eyes that for some reason made him feel chilled. Only one thing left her mouth, and that was the last thing she said that day. With a smile on her lips, Abbey whispered, "Que sera sera."

** Just so you know, she didn't die. **

** REVIEW PLEASE! All of you really disappointed me with your lack of ideas for the story, so I'm going to give you one more chance! What do you think should happen in this story? Something quick and easy that won't mess up the plot I have, just an idea for a space filler. Something that can happen over the span od December or something. Taste testers, people. It's like Hell's Kitchen, but nicer. **

** REVIEW! **


	39. Shaking Hands

**This chapter is **_**long **_**over due. I apologize for the long wait. I didn't die or anything drastic, I was just working most of the time and was exhausted the other part of the time. I never realized that working could be so tiring. :p Enjoy and review! **

** For colormania, who suggested what happens at the end! :) **

Chapter Thirty-Nine: Shaking Hands

Abbey spent four days in the hospital with an I.V. stuck in her arm and doctors with nurses trailing behind them constantly going in and out of her room. She counted the days from the start of her chemo until two weeks were up. Then, she could start expecting her hair to fall out. Puck hated that her hair falling out is what she expected every day. She would even pat herself on the back for every day she managed to keep her hair.

She spent a couple days on ordered bed rest with Buddy either hidden under the covers or being smuggled in an out of the hospital in Puck's jacket only so he can do his business then return to Abbey as soon as possible. She hated hospital food. After spending most of her adolescents in the hospital, she had come to detest the ridiculous excuse for food that they served to the patients. Puck repeatedly delivered food from Guy's Pizza when he would get excused from school.

Puck began spending a lot of time in the hospital, doing his homework when Rachel would deliver it every night. But, she never stayed. She would say a quick 'hello' to Abbey, kiss Puck on the cheek and return back to her car to go home.

"Have you talked to Rachel at all?" Abbey said after a few weeks of getting sick of seeing her brother's face every day.

He shrugged, not looking up from his calculus homework. "I talked to her today when she dropped off my homework."

"No, I mean really talked to her." Buddy stirred from his napping spot on Puck's lap. "Like, an actual conversation or anything?"

"She called a couple days ago to check in. I'm seeing her tonight. We're gonna go see a movie."

Abbey nodded once. "Good. You need a break. _I _need a break. You face is becoming sickening to look at."

His eyes glanced up from the worksheet he was filling out. "Thanks," he grumbled sarcastically, stretching his legs out when Buddy crawled off his lap and into Abbey's.

She had pulled up the tray that was attached to her bed and her laptop was sitting on it, playing a movie as she simultaneously read _Along For the Ride_ by Sarah Dessen. Puck watched her for a moment, her hand moving slowly to turn the page as her eyes flew across the words. Even though she was on ordered bed rest and couldn't to anything other than read, watch movies and to go the bathroom or shower when she needed, Abbey had been in good spirits. She joked with the nurses and doctors, took her meds and didn't fight any treatments that they tried to give her.

Things had been good with her.

But, if course, he spoke to soon.

She reached up to run her fingers through her hair softly, whimpering softly when she pulled away. "What's the matter, baby?"

Abbey's eyes glazed over and her lips pushed together in a tight line as she showed him the brown locks that were twisted around her fingers. She bit her lip. Puck pushed his homework away and stood up, walking the few feet to her bedside.

"So it begins," she whispered, letting the strands of hair flutter from her shaking hands and into the trashcan that was next to her bed. "Seven years old all over again. Is it ever going to stop? It took me for freaking ever to grow my hair out this long."

"I know, Abbey, I know."

She glared at him. "Actually, you don't know."

Puck sighed. "Well, I can imagine…"

"Fucking sucks."

"Hey. Watch your goddamn mouth."

She rolled her eyes. "Don't make me smile, I'm upset," she said, suppressing the smirk that was beginning to curl up in the corner of her lip.

Puck shook his head once. "You're not upset, you're just disappointed."

"Yeah."

"You'll be fine."

"You say that now, but wait until I'm dead."

He stood up, sitting back down in his chair and picking up his homework. "Well, we've got a little time, so make the most of it."

"You're not going to fight me on this one?"

Puck smirked to himself. "Nope."

"Why not?"

"Because. It's about time you dropped of the face of the earth. You're face is getting sickening to look at."

It was then that Abbey smiled. "You're kind of a dick, you know that?"

"It's genetic. This means that once you turn seventeen, you're going to be the female equivalent of a dick."

Abbey frowned. "I'm going to be a vagina?"

"I was thinking of a different word for it, but yeah, I guess…"

She sighed like she was disappointed. "And, to think I wanted to become an asshole."

"That's the later years, like when you're twenty-five and when men and women act the exact same way."

"Why don't they act the same way when they're seventeen? What's the difference between acting like a dick or a cu-"

"Do not use that word!" he said, cutting her off.

She held her hand sup in defense. "Okay, then what's the difference between acting like a dick and a vagina?"

Puck picked up his pencil, erasing an answer before writing the correct one. "Because, dicks can go for just about any fight. Vaginas look for fights that fit their checklist."

"Why do I feel like we have just started talking about the different standards that men and women hold in looking for the correct sex partner?"

He shrugged. "Eh, fights, sex, it's all the same. Fun but messy and you always come out panting and sweaty from yelling."

"That's disgusting."

"You asked."

"I wasn't expecting you to answer."

Puck smiled at her and returned to his homework. "Read your book."

She turned the page. "Go back to school."

"I'm doing just fine where I am."

"Yeah. So am I."

Three weeks after Abbey had landed in the hospital, Rachel was walking out of her math class with a folder full of Puck's class and homework for that day. She was sticking the folder in her backpack and pulling her jacket on when she felt someone tap on her shoulder. Turning around, Quinn was standing there, adjusting the headband she had on.

"Hi," she said quietly but cheerfully, sticking her hands in the back pockets of her green Capri pants.

Rachel pushed her hair out of her face. "Hello, Quinn. How are you?"

The blond smiled. "Starving, actually. I was just wondering if you wanted to come to Guy's Pizza with me. I was thinking of getting some fries and doing homework, but I don't want to be alone."

Rachel smiled, pulling her hair from her jacket. "Yeah, that sounds like fun. I didn't have lunch today. I was rehearsing."

"Rehearsing what?" Quinn asked as they headed toward the parking lot. "We haven't gotten an assignment for glee in weeks."

"I know, but Noah and I still haven't preformed our duet. I haven't gotten the hang of the bridge."

Quinn nodded her head once. "Yeah. It's strange that Mr. Schuster is getting so distracted. Have we even had practice lately?"

She shook her head. "Not for a while. I wonder what he's up to… Sectionals is soon."

Rachel buttoned her coat, as did Quinn as they reached the red Beetle that Quinn drove. The two of them climbed into the car, heading toward the diner and chatting lightly about the movie Quinn had seen a few days before that Rachel and Puck were going to see that night.

"I mean, I don't want to give away any spoilers, but, it's pretty good. Finn didn't like it that much, but he's not one for horror movies."

"I'm not either," Rachel said as they pulled into the parking lot. "It was Noah's idea to see it. I only said yes because I haven't actually spent quality time with him for almost a month." Quinn frowned. "I only see him when I bring him his homework."

They threw their backpacks over their shoulders and strolled into the diner, taking a booth by the back near the heater. Rachel took off her gray pea coat. "You look different, Rachel," Quinn commented, taking off her own coat and adjusting her soft, pink cardigan. "In a good way."

The brunette smiled. "It's laundry day. All my other clothes are in the wash."

"You look good, though. I had no idea you even owned jeans."

"Neither did I. I found them in the way back of my closet," she said, taking a binder from her bag with a pencil case.

She handed Quinn a highlighter when she had started underlining notes in pencil. "So, anyway. You haven't actually spent any time with Puck for a month?"

Rachel opened a notebook and textbook. "Well, almost. I can understand, though. Abbey's in the hospital and he's taking care of her. She's his little sister and is almost all he has." She copied down the questions from the end of the section, answering them without even reading what the book had to say. "He wants to make sure she's okay."

Quinn capped her highlighter and started filling out a worksheet. "I know, but still. Finn and I make time for each other."

"Neither of you have a dying little sister."

They nodded at each other just as a waitress came over. "What can I get you ladies?"

"A root beer, please," Rachel said with a smile.

"Make that two, and can we just have a basket of fries?"

The waitress nodded, writing it down on her notepad. "Absolutely. I'll be right back with that."

They thanked her politely before going back to their homework. Rachel and Quinn sat in a peaceful silence for a while, working on their homework and sipping on their drinks once they had been brought over, but once the French fries arrived, they put aside their work and focused on the food, laughing and chatting.

"Quinn?" Rachel said, dipping her French fry in ketchup. "Can I ask you something?" The blonde nodded. "Are we friends?"

She laughed like it was a silly question. "Of course we're friends, Rachel." Quinn's mind flashed back to when they were in elementary school. "Listen…" she said quietly, pulling a French fry apart and eating half. "I just wanted to say I'm sorry."

Rachel sipped at her soda. "For what?"

"For everything that happened between us. I shouldn't have done anything that I did. It was really stupid and selfish and immature and just wrong." Rachel looked down at her hands. "Since middle school, I've been making all the wrong decisions for benefits that turned out to be losses. I lost a really good friend, I'm losing more, and I'm sure that I will in the future. Hell, Santana's on the war path right now and before September 13th, she called me her best girl. I've made a lot of stupid choices and I'm sorry… I feel like I'm saying that a lot lately."

The brunette shook her head. "Everyone makes mistakes they have to make up for."

"But, mine seem categorically worse than everyone else's."

"You're not killing people. You can't get worse than that… Everyone deserves to be forgiven."

"Except Hitler."

Rachel nodded once. "Especially not Hitler. To quote Noah, and excuse my language… 'That guy is a fucking douche bag for murdering our people'."

Quinn burst into a fit of laughter. "I couldn't agree more, friend," she said, raising her glass and clinking it against Rachel's.

"So… Friends?"

She shook her head. "No, not really."

"But… You just said-"

"Best friends sounds a little better, don't you think?"

Rachel smiled. "Yeah, it has a nice ring to it."

"I thought so."  
~*~

After their afternoon snack, Rachel asked Quinn if she would be so inclined to drive her to the hospital where Puck was waiting for her. Quinn said of course and the two of them sang along to the radio as they headed to Grandview. Quinn hugged her new friend before watching her leave. Rachel waved at her before disappearing into the hospital and heading to Abbey's room.

She knocked a few times on the door, turning to handle when Abbey waved her in. "Hey, kid," Puck said to her when she entered. "Nice jeans."

He gathered her scarf in his hands and pulled her toward him, kissing her on the lips. "It's laundry day."

"Ah, of course."

Rachel looked over at Abbey. "You look good," she said in a cheerful voice, putting her backpack down in the ugly pink chair Puck had been using as a bed for the past three weeks.

The thirteen year old waved her hand once. "I can see right through your lies. You needn't try to please me. I'm going bald."

"Everyone goes bald."

She stared at her brother. "When they're old and wrinkly with seven cats and arthritis, yes. Not when they're thirteen and ready to take on the world like a boss." Puck ignored her comment. "Now, take him away, please. I've been waiting all day for you to get here, now you can leave."

"Abbey is getting sick of my face," Puck explained, wrapping his arms around Rachel's waist.

"Oh, that's good because I haven't gotten enough of it lately." He grinned. "I definitely need some face time."

"Oh, well, maybe we can just skip the movie," he said, leaning down to press his lips against hers again, tangling his fingers in her hair.

Rachel giggled when Puck started over exaggerating their kiss, smacking his lips against her loudly. "Come on, Noah, we're going to be late," she said, trying to pull away from him.

He groaned, holding onto her hips to make her stay put. "Like we're going to be watching the movie anyway," he said against her neck.

She smirked to herself, but pushed against his chest and finally wiggled free from his grasp. "I came all the way down here to go to a movie and that's exactly what I'm going to do."

Puck saluted her, grabbing his coat before turning to his sister. "You gonna be okay?"

"I'm gonna be fine."

"Okay." They started walking out of the hospital room. "Don't lose anymore hair!"

"I can't make promises!" she called after them. "Don't get pregnant!"

"We already have that covered!" he said before they disappeared completely and headed to the elevators.

Rachel linked her fingers with Puck's smiling up at him softly. The doors slid open. When he saw that no one was inside, he scooped Rachel up and pulled her in, making her laugh when he started kissing her neck. The doors shut again when he pressed 'L', but they didn't get far before his hand shot out and pressed the emergency stop button.

"Noah, what are you doing!?" she said, trying not to get distracted from his hands that were wandering all over her body. "We could get in trouble."

He grunted once. "I don't get in trouble, Rachel. I'm like chocolate. No one can resist me. Just try to get me in trouble, I dare you."

Puck hit the sensitive spot on her neck and Rachel nearly collapsed. "I hate when you do this."

"What are you talking about?" he said, pulling away from her. "I never do this. How can you hate me for it?"

"I mean make me give into you like I'm about to."

"Oh, that." He grinned. "Yeah, it's a gift. You know, sometimes, I think about-"

But, she cut him off when she grabbed his head and smashed her lips against his. Rachel missed the feeling of his lips. It'd been three whole weeks since she kissed him properly, where she could feel in her knees, stomach and that region just south of her belly button before it soared through her entire body. She loved and hated that feeling. She loved it because of the way it felt, like she was going to explode into a million pieces and go soaring off into space from a mix of all the happy emotions you can think of. She hated it, though, because it made her feel weak in comparison to Puck, like he could ask her to do anything, and she'd do it.

But, this was a proper kiss, the kiss that she loved and hated, but always wanted to feel no matter what. Puck's hands moved to the hem of her off white sweater and started pushing it over her head.

"Noah, stop," she said, grabbing his wrists and pushing his hands away from her.

"What's the problem?" he rasped into her neck, moving her scarf out of the way for better access to her skin. She let out a sigh, and he let his head fall into her shoulder. "Rachel, let's skip the movie tonight. It's a Friday. We'll just go somewhere, just the two of us."

She shook her head. "Noah… I just-"

"You want to, right, Rachel?"

"Yes, of course, I-"

"I mean, I don't want to make you do something you don't want to do, but, what's stopping you?"

She let her head fall against the wall of the elevator, looking up at the mirrored ceiling. "I don't know… I just don't know."

"Are you ready, Rach?"

"I'm ready."

"Then, let's go somewhere. We'll get a room, we'll- We'll just talk. We don't have to do anything unless you don't want to, but…" His eyes raked over her body. "Goddamn, Rachel, do I want to…" She bit her lip, her cheeks flaming in red like she was embarrassed that her boyfriend was telling her he was attracted to her. "Listen, I understand. We'll just go somewhere and- Jesus, I don't know what we'll do. I'm not used to this sort of thing…"

Rachel giggled quietly, her eyes still glued to their reflections. She liked how they looked together, so close to each other and so intimate without being intimate. Rachel wanted with a capital 'W-A-N-T-E-D' Puck in every form of the word and she knew he wanted her back. She couldn't find an excuse not to, but she couldn't get up enough courage to actually make it happen. It was a vicious circle.

Puck's hand reach out, his forehead still pressed into her collar bone and hit 'L' for lobby. "It's cool," he said into her soft, white sweater, his fingers stroking the cashmere fabric. "You don't have to do anything you don't want to and I'm not going to force you. We can see the movie."

"Noah," she said, reaching her hands up to cup his jaw and lift his head to make him look at her. "You don't have to force me. I want to, I'm just…" She started searching for the right word. It clicked almost immediately. "Scared."

"Shit, Rach, everyone's scared. I'm terrified and I've done it a hundred times before."

"A hundred!?"

"Well, not a hundred, but you know what I mean. I'm still scared. Scared shitless."

"Why are _you_ afraid?"

Puck rested his hands on her hips, pressing his fingers into the waistband of her jeans. "Because, Rachel, it's you."

She arched her eyebrow at him. "I don't know what that means, but it doesn't really sound reassuring."

He hooked his fingers on the loops of her jeans. "I don't know what it is, Rachel. All I know is that I want you, but, if you don't want to, that's fine."

"No, it's not that I don't want to, because I do! I really, really do, Noah. I just- Ugh!"

He laughed into her neck, wrapping his arms around her in a hug. "Let's just go somewhere. If something happens, it happens. If it doesn't, then fine. We'll just let the chips… fall where they may."

Rachel's brow pushed together. "Did you just quote She's the Man?"

"Psht, no." She nudged his head up and looked at him. "Okay, fine, yes, I did. So what? I have a teenage sister. Sue me." Rachel smiled. "Come on, let's just… go."

She bit her lip for a moment, but then nodded. "…Okay," she said quietly, reaching out to start the elevator again. "Let's go."  
~*~

Rachel's hands were shaking. She was staring over at Puck, lying next to her on the bed in the motel room he had rented out for them, his eyes closed as he slept quietly. He was on his side, one arm tucked under his head while he breathed heavily, his other arm draped over her hip. His face was relaxed, mouthing hanging open slightly. His eyelids flickered and Rachel knew he was dreaming. She linked her fingers together in an attempt to stop the shaking, but it only made it worse.

It was nearing 10:00 at night, a few hours after the two of them had retreated from the hospital and driven to Sleepy Days motel where Puck endlessly bribed with the receptionist until she agreed to rent out a room to a minor and his girlfriend. They then buried themselves in the room, spending only a few moments in each others arms until Rachel was able to take on a whole new meaning for the word intimacy. He'd coached her through it and she actually enjoyed it, but still, her hands were shaking so intensely, she was afraid something was wrong with her.

Puck's eyes flickered open. "Hey," he whispered, biting his lip in a way that made Rachel smile, despite her nerves. "Are you okay?" She nodded her head once and he shifted until he was able to take both of her hands in his. "You're shaking, Rachel…"

"I know…"

"You're sure you're okay?" She nodded again. "Then, why are you shaking?"

"Maybe I'm just happy," Rachel whispered, wiggling forward until the two of them were pressed against each other, the warmth of his skin radiating onto hers.

He wrapped his arms around her and she hooked hers around his neck. "I love you, Rachel."

"I love you, too."

Puck smiled, then tilted his chin forward and kissed her softly. "So much." She kissed him deeper. "Forever."

**BLAAAAAAH! The ending… D: Not too happy about how it came out, but I didn't know how else to end it. Weh. Okay, goodbye. **

**Review like it's your job! **


	40. Give Me A Break

**For colormania. That is all. Literally. You'll see… **

Chapter Forty: Give Me A Break

Puck and Rachel left the motel room the next afternoon, after they'd had room service in bed and watched TV, and continued to share those intimate moments that made Rachel want to laugh and cry. They didn't talk much, except for the occasional whispers of 'I love you' and 'I know, I love you, too' that was passed back and forth between them when the silence became too unbearable.

When 1:00 rolled around, after lunch, Puck looked at the clock and swore because today was Abbey's discharge and if he wasn't there, she'd 'flip a literal shit' so they climbed out of bed, as painful as it was and got dressed, smiling at each other every time they made eye contact.

"Ready to go?" Puck said, kissing her fingertips when the room was cleaned up and they were both straightened out.

"Yes," she said with a smile, standing up on her toes to kiss him before grabbing her jacket and walking out of the motel room with him following close behind.

The two of them dropped the key off at the desk and headed to his truck before driving to the hospital. Their ride was silent, like their time in the motel had been, Puck's fingers linked around Rachel's. His thumb was running across her knuckles and the soft touch reminded Rachel of he he'd touched her during those two intimate nights, his fingers always tracing small circles on the small of her back.

They walked through the halls, fingers still locked together as they made their way to room _837. _Abbey was waiting outside her room, sitting in a wheelchair with her arms crossed as she raised one eyebrow at him. Buddy was asleep in her lap under a sweatshirt.

"Are we late?" he said, holding Rachel's hand tighter like she could protect him from Abbey's wrath.

"You're _so_ late."

"I'm sorry, Abs." Rachel ran a hand through her messy hair. "We are. We got distracted. It was important."

She rolled her eyes and started pushing the wheels on the chair to propel herself forward. "Whatever. Getting laid is more important than not showing up to sign the discharge papers so your sick, little sister has to call Dad all the way from Cincinnati because Mom is in the middle of a delivery? That's fine." Abbey rolled passed them. "By the way, Rachel, you look totally had right now."

Rachel gasped and pulled out a compact mirror from her purse to stare at herself and try to tell. "What? I'm-"

"No, she's kidding, Rachel. She did it to every girl that I-" Puck stopped himself. "She's kidding."

"Right…"

The two of them sped behind Abbegail, who was going surprisingly fast and stepped into the elevator with her. Rachel's eyes stared at the frog hat that was sitting over her head. From the looks of it, Abbey had about half the head of hair she had when Puck and Rachel left the night before and what she did have was pulled back into a thin braid. When Puck put his hands on the handles of the chair, she snapped at him 'Not to help me, I can do it myself.'

Puck and Rachel exchanged looks and the petite brunette cringed, causing Puck to do the same. He could tell, judging by the last time this had happened, Abbey would be angry at him, maybe even both of them, for a while. They reached the end of the hallway, where Abbey had to get out of her wheelchair for other patients.

She slowly pushed herself up with the armrests, taking Puck's hand when he offered, but then shoving it way as soon as she was standing.

"Come on, Abbey, get over it. You're being a little twit," he said as he signed her out, taking the prescription from the doctor before they started hobbling to the elevator.

"Screw you and your horny needs," was all she said before she stopped in the middle of the lobby, her eyes narrowing. "I don't friggin' believe it."

Puck looked at his sister and tried to find where her eyes were, but he couldn't. When Abbegail started taking unsure steps toward a group of highly tanned people surrounding one very pale one, Puck followed after her. "Kae Charlotte Hensley, don't tell me you're back in this God-forsaken place," Abbey said loudly, causing the group of people to turn and look at the thirteen year old as she hobbled across the gray rug.

"Abbegail Mason Puckerman, don't tell me _you're _back in this God-forsaken place," a girl said, her head covered by a brightly patterned scarf that tied in the back where long, brown hair was gathered into a messy braid.

The girl who Abbey addressed as Kae strode toward Abbey and caught her in her arms. "You look like you're dying," Kae said, hugging Abbey tightly as she regained her footing.

"You don't look like a sparkling diamond either, Glioma-Girl," Abbey said, hugging her back and giggling as she spoke. "What are you doing here?"

"Check up," Kae said, pushing her scarf and hair over her shoulder. "We finished treatments a few weeks ago."

"How did that go?"

"September 26th," Kae said with a grin, her eyes shining slightly as she spoke.

Abbey touched her friend's cheek softly, whispering, "Poor, little nugget." Kae laughed once, a tear falling from her eyes. "Do you want to come over for dinner? Puck's making spaghetti and chicken parm."

Kae looked over Abbey's shoulder to see Puck and Rachel standing there in silence with their hands clasped together. "Oh, Puck," she said, her eyebrow arching up once as her eyes raked over him. "I forgot about you…"

"Fat chance you did," Puck said, his mind flashing back to the hundreds of times Kae had hit on him when Abbey wasn't around. "Hi, Kae, nice to see you again. Have you met my girlfriend, Rachel?"

Kae stared at Rachel for a moment, her eyes scrutinizing every inch of her before she smiled and said, "Hey, Rachel, nice to meet you. I'm Kae," she said, stepping around Abbey to shake Rachel's hand. "Abbey and I met when we were ten."

Rachel smiled. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Kae."

They all stood there in silence for a while before Abbey turned around and stumbled toward her brother. "So, can she come over for dinner?"

Puck looked down at Rachel and made a face of invitation. She made a face, accepting it, before Puck looked back to his sister and said, "Sure, why not?"

The two girls squealed. Puck slightly regretted his decision but when Kae when running back to her family to say she was going for dinner at their house, Abbey looked at Puck with a beaming smile that he couldn't resist, so he allowed Kae to climb into the back seat of his truck with his little sister as the four of them drove back home to start preparing dinner. Abbey and Kae shut themselves in Abbey's room and music started pounding through the floor and into the kitchen.

Puck and Rachel started preparing the food. He threw some chicken into a glass baking pan with breadcrumbs and turned on the oven. As Rachel was mixing the homemade sauce in a pot, Puck came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist.

"Noah, I can't concentrate when you're doing that," she said as he dragged his lips across her neck bone. He smiled into her neck, his teeth biting down on her spine and sending a ripple of shivers through her. "Especially when you do that."

He placed his lips over a mark he'd left on her from earlier hours of the day and she felt her skin light up in flames. "Noah," she warned when his hands started wandering down her hips and to her center. "You better stop."

"Or what, babe?" he asked, teeth nipping at her earlobe tauntingly. "What will you do?"

She took the spoon out of the pot and turned around, licking the sauce off the base. "I don't know. But, try this." Rachel held it to his mouth and he tasted it just as she tasted it again, and the kissed her, pulling the spoon away from them as he kissed the left over sauce from her lips.

"You taste good, Rachel," he said against her lips while Rachel's fingers danced up his arm and to the nape of his neck. She latched her arms around his neck and pressed her body against his. "You feel good, too." She giggled into his mouth, pulling away from him and turning to the stove. "You're also a fucking tease."

"Noah Puckerman, I am _not _a tease. I'm trying to make dinner for you and your family."

Puck rolled his eyes, but stayed where he was, his hands resting on her hips and his back pressed against hers. As she moved around the kitchen, he watched her, his eyes scanning over her bumps and curves. Her jeans, which he had just noticed she was wearing for the first time since they were ten, hugged her legs nicely and, while they didn't look as long as they usually did when she was wearing her teasingly short skirts and knee socks, they looked like they stretched on for miles. Puck licked his lips.

"I saw that," she said form the kitchen table, her lips curled up into a smile as she chopped cucumbers for a salad.

"Saw what?" Puck said innocently, raising his eyebrows as if he'd done nothing wrong.

"Don't act so innocent, Noah. I saw you like your lips."

He grinned. "Well, can I help it that I'm working up an appetite?" Rachel smiled and turned back to her chopping. He slinked up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist. "But, you know, I'm a different kind of hungry."

"Noah!" Rachel stage whispered when he started biting at her earlobe. "Your sister and her friend are in the other room. You'll be kind to refrain from your horny, teenage antics for a little while."

Puck pouted. "How long is a little while?"

"At least until Kae is gone."

"Knowing Kae, she's probably not going to be leaving until late tomorrow afternoon, when we're both at school. And, you and I both know, neither of us can wait that long until I'm all over you again." She looked up at him through her long lashes. "Now that you've gotten the Puckerone 'D', you'll be begging me to assault you all over again."

Rachel bit her lip to keep from smiling, but hit his chest roughly. "Ugh, do you always have to be so crass?"

"Ladies, dinner!" Puck shouted without answering Rachel's question, his hand resting on the small of her back as she prepared plates for the two of them and brought them into the dining room.

Passing the book nook, Rachel looked in at the girls. "Come on, girls. It's getting cold."

The two girls, who had been reading a yellowing paged, extremely old copy of _Gone With the Wind_, looked up from the book at the two older teenagers as they walked by. Abbey closed the book and the two of them climbed from the nook to serve themselves. Rachel and Puck sat down at the table, their fingers linked together on Rachel's lap. Puck was so glad he was left handed, that he didn't need to let go of her.

"So, have you and Quinn talked at all about what's going to happen with the baby?" Rachel asked, slurping a noodle between her lips.

His fingers loosened slightly. "What do you mean?"

"Are you just going to keep it a secret from Finn forever?" He looked away from her and focused on his dinner. "I think he deserves to know, Noah. He's your best friend, and her boyfriend. It's not right to keep lying to him."

"I've told you before, Rachel, I don't want to talk about the baby."

"I'm not talking about the baby. I'm talking about lying to your best friend, Noah! It's not right, and it's not fair."

"I don't want to talk about this right now."

She let out a scoff from the back of her throat. "Doesn't surprise me in the slightest, Noah. You never want to talk about it," she said, rising from her seat and stalking to the front door. Grabbing her jacket from the closet, she slipped it over her shoulders. "You can't keep running away from things, Noah."

Puck stabbed his dinner with his fork. "Oh, give me a break. I'm not running away." She snatched up her car keys. "Where are you going?"

"Home, Noah. I'm going home. You can call me when you stop hiding."

"I'm not hiding!"

Rachel yanked the door open. "You are hiding, Noah. And, I'll tell you," she said, pausing halfway out the door and looking over her shoulder at him. Before she slammed the door shut and pulled out of his driveway quickly, Rachel gave him a sad glance and leered, "It's _cowardly_."

**Okay, Munchies, tell me your thoughts. :) Make sure to show me some love! 3 Leave a review. **


	41. Prep for the Holidays

**So, I am back. I'm so sorry that it took so long for me to update. There was some chaos in my life. BUT I'M BACK NOW with a new chapter. I hope you enjoy it, Munchies. **

Chapter Forty-One: Prep for the Holidays

He'd called Rachel fifteen times before Abbey took his phone away. She never answered, and Puck knew that it was probably because she was smart enough to know that he was only calling so she would talk to him. She refused to, though.

"You're not helping yourself, Puck," Abbey said when she finally wrestled his iPhone away from him to hide in her room. "Just let her cool off. What would you have said to her anyway? 'Baby, I'm sorry, come back'?"

"Yes."

"You wouldn't have meant it and we all know it. You're not sorry because you don't think you're doing anything wrong. It's ridiculous how you and Rachel can go from sickeningly sweet to each other one minute to completely pissed at each other the next! You're worse than Jeremy and I and he's never even told me he loves me!"

Puck felt his shoulder muscles tense. "Alright, we can stop talking about this."

Abbey threw her hands in the air. "There you go again, Puck. This is exactly what Rachel was talking about. You don't want to talk about it so you run away. You _are _a coward."

"That's enough!" he shouted, standing over his sister with his shadow towering over her. From next to them, Buddy started barking loudly.

"You may be able to scare Rachel away, Puck, but you can't scare me!" Abbey said, pushing herself up on her toes until their noses were almost touching. "You're running away, Puck, and you know it! You can lie to everyone else but you can't lie to me. You're a coward. And you know it!"

With that, Abbey stormed to her room and slammed the door shut after Buddy had scurried inside. Puck stared at the door that had been slammed in his face and turned to go downstairs. When he did, he jumped slightly when he saw Kae standing there with a bag of chips and onion dip in her hands.

"That's the second time today that a woman has slammed a door in my face," he said, staring at her with a frown.

"Maybe if you didn't act like such an asshole…" she suggested, juggling the items in her hands to pop a dipped chip into her mouth.

He frowned. "I don't act like an asshole."

Kae nodded once. "You kind of do, a little bit."

Puck waved her off once and started toward his bedroom while Kae headed to Abbey's. "Hey, wait, Kae?" he said, turning to look at her. "Why do you like me?"

"What?"

"If I'm such an asshole, why do you like me?"

She rolled her eyes. "That's such a guy thing to ask." He looked at her expectantly for an answer. "Why do you care so much about my opinion?" He rocked back and forth on his feet for a moment, biting his lip. "Look… I'm not going to answer this question. I don't like you."

"Kae… You and I both know that you do. Can you just answer?"

"Because most of the time, you are actually very sweet," she rushed out, popping another chip into her mouth. "You just have you're douche moments."

"Oh, give me a break."

"I'm serious, dude. You can be really, really nice to girls. Like, really nice. I've seen you with that bitchy Latina chick, and with the stupid blonde. When they're here, you're treating them like they're made of gold and rubies. Then, you're a total asshole to them later, I can only assume because they never end up back here once you're done with them. Rachel is the first girlfriend I've seen you have in, what, three years?"

Puck kicked his foot on the rug a few times. "Yeah, but I-" At that moment, the doorbell rang. "Maybe that's her," he said excitedly, thundering down the stairs to fling the door open.

His shoulders fell slightly when he saw Quinn standing there with a disgruntled look on her face. "Hi," she said, running her hand over her stomach that had flattened out again once she started eating healthier. "Am I interrupting something? I heard yelling…"

Puck shook his head. "Naw, not really. Abbey and I were having a fight. About the baby."

She frowned. "You and _Abbey _were having a fight about the baby? Why?"

"Because Rachel and I got into a fight about the baby. Rachel thinks we should tell Finn… I avoided the question."

"That's actually what I'm here to talk to you about, Puck. Telling Finn."

"I can't catch a break," he grumbled to himself, letting his head fall against the door. "I could really use talking about something else, Quinn."

Without listening to him, Quinn walked into the house and followed her nose to the kitchen. "Listen, I've been thinking about it a lot. It really isn't fair for Finn to not know about Drizzle."

"Are we still calling her that?" he said as she dished herself some pasta and sauce.

She twisted her fork around the noodles. "For now, it's all we have. But, anyway…" Quinn hopped up on the counter and rested the plate on her knees, twirling some pasta around on a fork. "I was thinking about it tonight when Finn started talking about a nursery… He wanted pink walls with white furniture and little stuffed zoo animals. 'I really want what's best for my little girl, Quinn', he said to me. 'I love her, and I love you.'"

Puck leaned against the kitchen table, his arms crossed over his chest. "Okay…"

"And, it hit me then, that it was time to tell him about Drizzle. You and I. Together, just like you wanted." He chewed on his lip, staring at the blonde sitting on the counter. "It's what you wanted, right?"

"Right now, all I want is for Rachel to stop asking so many questions about Drizzle," Puck said, falling into one of the kitchen chairs with a sigh. He ran his hand over his Mohawk for the millionth time in his life.

"Well, you can't always get what you want, Puck," Quinn responded, sucking a noodle through her lips. "You should know that by now."

"Ha… Yeah."

Quinn put her empty plate down in the sink and crossed her legs like a first grader. "I think we should tell him after New Years. That way, the holidays are over and he doesn't have anything to stress about except school."

Puck let out a grumble. "I suppose that sounds fine. January second. We'll tell him together. And, be aware that I will be hiding behind you for protection."

She rolled her eyes. "You'll be fine."

"Um, no, I won't. Finn is going to kill me."

Suddenly, the front door banged open and Sarah came parading into the kitchen in her blue and green scrubs. "Oh, Quinn, hello, wonderful to see you, dear," she rushed out, kissing the blonde on the cheek before turning to her son. "Noah, have you completely forgotten what month it is?"

"No, why? Have you?"

"Yes! It's December. Hanukah is in less than two weeks and we haven't done anything to prepare for Bubbe coming down, or your father, Natalia, and the kids to come over. We have so much to do."

Quinn nodded her head once and pushed herself off the counter. "I'll leave you to it, then. It was lovely seeing you, Mrs. Puckerman. Puck, walk me to the door."

Puck followed orders, opening the door for the mother of his child and standing there as she put her coat on. "Listen, I think that you and Rachel need to sit down and talk some things out. She clearly doesn't know your boundaries, and you don't know how to handle yourself when she crosses them. As a couple, it's your job to figure it out."

"Yes, thank you for the counseling, Dr. Fabray."

"Be sarcastic all you want, Puckerman. You know I'm right." Quinn turned to leave, but spun back around and faced him. "Oh, and listen. I know that you're Jewish and all, but I was wondering… Are you and I doing presents for Christmas? We could start getting baby equipment and stuff. If you wanted, we could do Hanukah presents, too…"

Puck rocked back and forth on his feet. "Um… I'll think about it, Quinn. Maybe you and I should refrain from gifts and stuff until Finn knows. That way he isn't wondering where all the shit is coming from."

She stood up on her toes and kissed his cheek. "I'll see you later."

He watched as she jogged over to her little red Punch Buggy and climbed in. Puck shut the door once she was out of sight and sighed.

"Noah! Go to the basement and get the bucket! We have to start cleaning right away!" Sarah called from the back porch.

"And, so the slave labor begins…"  
~*~

Puck never ended up calling Rachel after his mother had come dithering into the kitchen, mumbling about Hanukah. She had Puck vacuum every inch of the house, even the upper corners of the walls and every two hours, he was mopping the floor of the kitchen. The Puckerman family had high standards when it came to clean houses and holidays, especially Puck and Abbey's grandmother, so everything had to be clean and neat and tidy, otherwise Sarah would never hear the end of it from Emily.

Abbey spent most of her time in Puck's room, sleeping in his bed or watching TV while her mother and brother cleaned the house. As she perused the channels, Puck and his mother were on their hands and knees, waxing the kitchen floor. He sang to himself, sometimes humming the words and sometimes singing them out at the top of his lungs.

Sarah joined him on occasion, but for the most part she stayed quiet.

"How's Rachel?" she suddenly asked, causing her son to knock over the bucket of water next to him.

He quickly grabbed a towel and mopped up the soapy mess. "She's fine. We haven't really talked recently."

"Do you want to talk about it or…?"

"Not really, Mom. Don't take offense, but I don't wanna talk about it."

She smiled at him and nodded her head once. "Well, let me know if you do." He continued to sop up the water. "Noah, why don't you take a break? You've been working hard all day. You could use a nap."

"Thanks, Mom," he said, dropping the soaking wet towel down on the floor and trudging to his room.

Abbey was resting in the middle of the bed, curled in a surplus of blankets and pillows as she snoozed quietly. Puck kicked off his shoes and set his glasses on the nightstand before carefully climbing into bed and staring up at the ceiling. His sister shifted next to him and he glanced over to make sure she was still asleep. Puck flipped on his side and looked at Abbey. His eyes moved over the patches on her head where the hair no longer covered the pale skin. The remainder of her brown locks were pulled into a messy bun to keep it out of her face.

"Stop staring at me," she mumbled into the pillow, rolling onto her stomach and tucking her hands under her chest. Puck laughed out loud, causing her to open her eyes and stare at him. "What?"

"I'm sorry about what I said a few days ago…" She smiled at him. "I was mad at you. I didn't mean to be so angry."

"It's okay. I appreciate your apology, Puck. And I'm sorry, too, if stepped over any lines or pushed you too far. Or something."

Puck reached up and tapped her nose. "Nah. You were fine."

Abbey scooted closer to him and rested her forehead on his shoulder. "You're a good brother, Puck. I'm glad I have you here with me."

"Me, too, Abs," he said, wrapping his arm around her and kissing her thinning hair. "Me, too."  
~*~

Abbey and Puck were sitting in his bed one day, eating popcorn and watching old horror movies when Abbey popped the question of going shopping.

"Please, Puck?" she whined, clasping her hair in pray position and getting to her knees.

Puck looked at her from his spot on his bed. "Get your feet off my pillow, squirt," he said, throwing a piece of popcorn at her. "Why do you want to go to the stores?"

She frowned at him. "Um, because Hanukah is in two days and we both still need to get gifts for everyone. I need to get something special for Jeremy, and I'm sure you are thinking of getting Rachel something. I could help you pick it out."

"Rachel and I haven't talked in almost a week."

"Doesn't mean you can't get her something."

He arched his eyebrow at her. "I don't know, Abbey. The movie isn't over yet."

"The movie is awful. Who cares if it's over or not?" She jutted her lip out in a pout. "Please?"

"Ugh, fine! Go get dressed. Let me find my contacts and then we'll go."

She moved slowly from the bed and smirked to herself. "You're not going to find them."

He slammed his hands down on the mattress, making the springs _thwang_. "You hid them _again_? Abbegail. I can't keep wearing my glasses. My face isn't used to it." She spun around and looked at him with a smile twitching at her lips. "I'm getting pimples."

Abbegail burst out laughing, covering her mouth with her hand and scurrying to her room with a shriek when he started chasing after her. "You can't hurt me! I'm diseased!" she shouted through the door.

"Yeah, tell me about it. Being an annoying sibling _is _your disease."

Puck stomped back to his room, hearing Abbey say something about it being genetic and he suffered from it as well, but he ignored her comment and pulled on a pair of jeans and a clean t-shirt. Abbey returned moments later in aqua blue jeans and a loose, gray shirt. A white, knitted beanie was resting on her head, with assorted jewelry to match. She was finishing up putting the blue earrings in her ears as Puck was tying the laces to his sneakers.

"Ready?"

She nodded. "As ready as I'll ever be."

He shrugged on a jacket and grabbed his truck keys off his nightstand. "Let's go."

The siblings retreated from Puck's bedroom and down the stairs, out the door to the shopping center in Dayton.  
~*~

Rachel and Quinn strolled around the shops in Dayton, window shopping and sipping their hazelnut lattes. Normally, Rachel would object to the idea of injecting caffeine into her system, but since she hadn't got much sleep in the last week, she didn't mind it as much. The soles to Quinn's boots clacked loudly on the cobblestone sidewalk. She adjusted her scarf continuously and pulled at the buttons to her jacket.

"Is it just me, or is it hot out?"

Rachel turned and looked toward her friend, hugging her arms around her body. "Quinn, it's nearly zero degrees outside…"

Quinn laughed and sipped at her latte. "Maybe I'm just pregnant or something."

The blonde ran her hand over her stomach a few times as the girls passed a Victoria's Secret store. "Hey, now that you and Puck have done the deed, you should buy that," she said, pointing to a lacy, red nightgown with white fur lining the bust and hem. The mannequin was wearing a Santa Claus hat and strappy, red high heels. "He'd love you in that. 'You're on the naughty side of my list, babe'," Quinn said in a low tone, elbowing Rachel lightly in the ribs.

Rachel shoved Quinn's shoulder, causing her friend to stumble of the side walk. "Shut up," she said with a smile. Quinn laughed. "It isn't funny! We're Jewish."

This caused Quinn to laugh even harder before she saw the begrudged look on Rachel's face. "You okay?"

The brunette shrugged. "Yeah, I'm alright."

"As your best friend, it's my duty to tell you that I know you're not fine and you can't lie to me because I can see right through you."

"I'm concerned about Noah. That's all."

"Concerned about what?"

Rachel scuffed her shoes on the ground, watching the little kitten faces on her sock appear and disappear beneath her. "He refuses to talk about, you know, the…"

"The baby?"

"Yes. The baby. With me."

Quinn pushed her hair out of her face. "Maybe he is just uncomfortable with it… First of all, Puck is a boy. He's a teenage boy, with a baby, no less. A baby with a girl who isn't his girlfriend. I'm sure you can understand how he feels."

"I suppose I can, but I would at least like _him _to tell me that. All he said was that he wouldn't keep me in the dark. If he just told me that he didn't want to talk about it until he was good and ready, then, I would leave him alone."

"But, would you, really?" Rachel didn't respond. "Has he tried calling you since last Friday?" She shook her head. "Well, I'm sure he'll come around." The two of them began walking. Quinn squinted her eyes at the crowd that was advancing toward them. "Like… now for instance."

"What?"

Quinn stopped Rachel and pointed at the two siblings that were staring into the window of a used book store. Rachel stopped dead in her tracks and stared at the tall, tan, Mohawked coward that she called her boyfriend. Abbey pointed to a few books and Puck looked like he was making a mental note of the titles before they continued on the sidewalk. Rachel stood very still and Quinn looked between the three of them. The siblings didn't seem to notice the two girls until they were all stopped in front of the very same antique store that Rachel had taken Puck to a few weeks prior.

"Rachel," Puck said in shock, shoving his hands into his pockets.

"Noah."

"I've been calling you."

She looked at the lid to her cup before looking back at him. "You called fifteen times a week ago. I haven't heard from you since."

"You weren't answering."

"I was busy with Hanukah."

"So was I." Rachel scuffed her shoe on the ground again. "Listen, I really want to talk to you about something." She said nothing, and instead ducked into the store. "Wait, Rachel!"

Puck dashed in after her, leaving Abbey and Quinn standing alone on the street corner. "I'm done with my latte," Quinn said, throwing the to-do up in a trashcan. "Do you want to go to Honeymoon Café and get some lunch? We should leave the newly-weds to their arguing."

Abbey smiled and linked her arm through Quinn's as the two of them headed across the street to the Café. Inside the store, Rachel was weaving through bookshelves and cabinets. Puck was following close after her. She didn't get far before Puck reached out and grabbed her arm, making her stop.

"Rachel."

"What?"

"Can we talk?"

She stopped by a table of jewelry that was illuminated by fairy lights. "Does it have to be right now? In the middle of the store?"

Rachel's hand ran over a silver bracelet with pale amethyst gems. Puck's eyes wandered over her face and the admiring look in her eyes as she fingered the cool, silver. The soft look on her face shot away any goal to talk to Rachel about what had happened.

"No…" he said, putting his hand on the small of her back. He felt her lean into his hand slightly. "It doesn't have to be now…" She adjusted the bags in her hands. "Do you- Do you need me to carry those?" Puck said, reaching for her bags.

"I've got them," she said, moving the straps up her arms. Puck looked at the store names "Urban Outfitters… Apple… Forever Twenty-One…" He arched an eyebrow at her. "Game Stop?" Rachel froze and turned toward him. "You don't know anyone that shops at GameStop except for…" She sucked in a breath. "Me."

Rachel tried to hide the bag, but he snatched it away from her, holding it out of her reach. "Noah, give me that bag!" Puck smiled and taunted her by opening the plastic bag and glancing inside it. "Noah!"

He grinned and handed the bag back to her. "Here, Rach," Puck said with a wide smile. "You can have it back."

She snatched the bag from him and shoved it into the draw-string Apple store bag. "Thank you." He smiled at her and trailed his finger down her arm. "I'm still mad at you."

Puck nodded. "That's okay. Because we haven't talked yet."

Rachel's lips twitched up in a smile. "Quinn is probably waiting for me."

"Abbey's probably waiting for me."

The two of them exited the store and looked around the street, nearly scratching their heads as to the location of their shopping partners.

At the same time, they looked at each other and said, "Where did they go?"  
~*~

On the 19th, the day before the first night of the holiday, Puck and Abbey were at the train station to wait for their grandmother. "Have you called Rachel yet?"

"You already know the answer to that question, Abs, so why are you even asking?"

"As a reminder that you should, oh, I don't know, call her."

He pulled at the hem of his jacket. "I'll call her when I'm good and ready to call her."

Abbey rolled her eyes and zoomed around in her wheelchair for a while before Puck stuck his hands out and grabbed the handles. "The heck?"

"Look," he said, pointing to a red-headed woman who was striding through the train station with a suitcase rolling behind her. "There's Bubbe."

Abbey whipped her head in the direction which Puck was pointing and a wide grin spread on her face. "My darlings!" Emily said, holding her arms out to the two teens. Puck hugged her first, then Abbegail. "How are you, my sweet?" she said, cupping Abbey's cheeks and kissing the girl's nose.

"I'm surviving, so far, Bubbe."

Their grandmother rested her forehead against Abbegail's. "You keep fighting."

"I will."

"Shall we get going, then?" Emily said, handing her suitcase to Puck and taking his spot behind the wheelchair.

He nodded. "The truck's parked right out front."

The three of them paraded across the station and out to the pick-up circle, where Puck's truck was making a significant amount of traffic. "Oh, shit."

"Noah, language," Emily said, fixing the collar to his shirt.

A round man with a badge on his chest and an angry look on his face cam strolling up to the three of them. "Is this your automobile, young man?" he said, pointing a fat finger in Puck's face.

"Uh, it's- Yes."

The man pulled a pad of paper out of his pocket. "Then, that means this is your ticket."

Abbey coughed loudly. "Excuse me… I asked my brother to park close to the station. I didn't want to walk very far."

"He's still getting a ticket."

"I have cancer," she spat out.

The officer's pencil stopped scribbling on the paper. "I'll just throw this out," he said, ripping it off and crumpling it up in his hand. "Just try to park in a handicapped parking space next time."

"Thank you, officer," Abbegail said as the three of continued to the car.

Puck tucked his arms under his sister but she swatted him away. "I can do it. I have cancer, I'm not disabled," she snapped, shoving herself from the contraption and slowly climbing into the backseat o the truck. She kicked her legs up onto the bench seat and sighed in relief.

"I'm opting to buy a new wheelchair," she said, cracking her toes. "It kills my butt and makes my back even sorer then it already is."

Puck held his hand out to his grandmother and helped her into the passenger's seat before climbing into the driver's side. "I'll get you a cushion. We can't afford to buy a new wheelchair, Abbey."

"You have a new job. Why can't you buy one?"

"Abbegail!" Emily exclaimed from the front. "You can't expect things like that."

He turned around and rested his arm on the seat. "Abbegail, that job is not for the family. It's for the baby."

"Right."

"What baby?" Emily asked, pushing her curly, red hair away from her face.

Abbey and Puck fell silent. They stared at each other for almost an eternity before staring at their grandmother. "I was sure that Mom told you by now," Puck said, picking at a hangnail on his thumb. "It's been almost a month since she found out. I'm-"

Emily's hand slowly moved to cover her mouth. "Noah, please don't tell me that…"

"My friend is having a baby. And I'm- I'm the father."

Her eyes slowly closed. Emily sat very still and didn't say anything for five minutes. Her fingers just danced on the skin of her lips before Abbey said, "Bubbe? Are you okay?"

"We'll talk about this later. I'm very disappointed in you, Noah."

Puck frowned. "But, Bubbe, I-"

"I _said_… We'll talk about it later. Just take me home."

"But, Bubbe."

"Home, Noah."

** Oh, man. Bubbe is not a happy woman. PLEASE REVIEW! **

** I'm definitely going to be trying to update more often. I'm going to Canada in a few days, so I'll have lots of time to write. **

** The person playing Kae is on my website, and the outfits will also be up soon! Link to that is on my profile. **

** REMEMBER TO REVIEW! **


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